


The Highest Star

by isleofflightlesscrows



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, IN SPACE, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Slow Burn, also I'm back from the dead yay, enjoy fools, food wars will be fought, its a whole lot of fun, its them - Freeform, references are made, ships will sail, sorry - Freeform, the boys, they suffer a lot tho ahahaha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-01-07 09:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12230121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isleofflightlesscrows/pseuds/isleofflightlesscrows
Summary: Hinata Shoyo is a nobody from the Sun; a child of the concrete just getting by. When he is accepted to one of the most prestigious military academies in the galaxy, things begin to look up. Despite the fact that his peers loathe him for reasons unknown, he somehow makes friends and pilots the legendary spaceship The Minoa. But there is danger growing; and like the darkness, it will spread from planet to planet.Filled with humor, romance, and intense action scenes, The Highest Star is a must read for Haikyuu fans and sci-fi nerds alike; it will keep you hanging until the final word.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm back from the dead and ready to post. I really hope you guys enjoy reading this fanfic as I did writing it.
> 
> Well, without further ado, welcome to The Highest Star!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which Hinata Shoyo is late for his first day of space academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives."
> 
> — Socrates

“Wait! Wait for me!” the fiery-haired Sun boy ran after the cruiser.

It was 8:53 am Earth Time, and the cruiser heading for Earth’s elite space academy arrived 13 minutes ago to pick up its final passengers, but of course our protagonist slept through his alarm.

With every second, the unsuspecting silver cruiser gained distance from the boy, who was not giving up. Running as close as he can to the hull, he banged it with his fist. “Wait! Slow down!” The driver of the cruiser looked at the boy once, then sped up.

“No! Come back you son of a-” Miraculously, the doors opened and a hand shot out. Confused yet grateful, the Sun boy grabbed onto it. In a flash, he was immediately pulled in.

Both he and his rescuer fell to the ground. All the passengers began to stare at them; some even simpered.

“Aw crap I think I broke something,” the boy rolled over, clutching his rib. “You’re a goddamn idiot, you know that?”

The Sun boy cocked his head and stared straight into the rescuer’s eyes. They seemed cold and full of anger.

“It wasn’t my fault! The stupid driver guy couldn’t wait for me!”

“Then you should’ve came here on time!” the strange boy pulled up the other by the wrist. The cruiser experienced some interference and shook a bit, which made them slam into each other head first. Both walked back, rubbing their foreheads in pain.

Ignoring each other, both sat side by side, saying nothing. Another passenger, who was playing some video game, cowered away.

“What is a klutz like you doing here in the first place?”

The boy perked up and said, “I got recommended. My neighborhood is kinda poor so they wrote a recommendation letter and scraped up some money for me to travel here.”

“Oh.”

Silence consumed the both of them as the cruiser approached a canyon. “I’m Hinata Shoyo by they way.” Hinata lent out his hand. The other boy looked at it and scoffed. Discouraged, he put his hand down and crossed his arms.

Through an opening, the cruiser went through the canyon; light seeping through its cracks. Attempting to talk to the mystery stranger, Hinata asked, “Did you get recommended?”

“No. The Admissions Director personally chose me.”

“She what?!” Hinata back away in shock, shoving into the other passenger. The passenger squeaked, which made him shift back. “Yeah, I don’t know why you’re acting so surprised.”

“But nobody gets personally chosen by the Admissions Director! No one!” The vehicle slowed down, then came to a halt. The doors opened as passengers grabbed their belongings and left.

“By the way,” Hinata followed the stranger outside, “you never told me your name!” “Why should I?” Said the mystery boy. “Now go away, you’re freaking me out.”

The Sun boy sighed as the rude one left. Why was he so mean?

Looking around, his eyes laid upon his destination: the Earth Military Space Academy, or EMSA for short. Staring at the building, Hinata began to smile. With excitement, he ran inside.

The walls were silver coated and had tablets installed within them; which displayed the academy’s achievements and what courses they offer. The ceiling was high and let a great amount of sunlight in. Students of all ages basked in it; most talking amongst themselves.

He looked around in delight. Viewing all these grand sights made him dizzy. Lounging in the glory of the prestigious academy that was EMSA he was about to find his dorm room when he crashed into another student.

“Hey! What the hell was…” Looking up, Hinata swallowed nervously. A student much taller than himself was looking down at him. He wore a cadet’s uniform, which had a violet trim.

“Yo, Ushijima! Stop scaring the underclassmen!” screamed a colleague. “I’m not!” Ushijima said in response. Staring at the frightened newcomer, he muttered, “Sorry,” and went on his way.

Hinata’s heart pounded in his chest, as if he had some near-death experience. Shaking his head, he went over to the dorm rooms.

Of course, along the way he’d gotten lost. With the help of a kind upper classmate, he found his room.

Opening the door, he dropped his belongings and fell onto his bed. Turning around, he realized there was an identical set on the other side. “My roommate probably didn’t arrive yet,” he whispered to himself.

Hinata shifted on his bed and realized there was something underneath. Pulling it up, he realized it was his uniform. Unlike Ushijima, his had a black trim.

Inside one of the pockets was a note, which was an acceptance letter. Hinata carelessly threw it to the side and marveled at his outfit. Finally, he had a proper cadet’s uniform! It didn’t take long for him to try it on, of course.

In the mirror, he rolled up his sleeves and gazed upon himself with pure happiness. “Cadet Hinata Shoyo. No, _Pilot_ Hinata Shoyo reporting for duty!” he whispered to himself with pride, secretly loving his imaginary title. It seemed like nothing could distract him from the sight of his suit.

Then his stomach growled.

“Oh, right!” he marched out of the room and headed towards the cafeteria.

*

The food did not look savory. At all.

Hinata picked up the slop from his tray. “This is food?” An upperclassmen threw away his food as he exclaimed in disgust, “Dammit! Forgot it was Mystery Meat Monday.”

He stared back at the tray. “This is meat?!”

Carrying his pathetic excuse for food in disappointment, our protagonist tried his very hardest to find a table to sit in, but no cigar. Most stared at him, hoping he would disintegrate. Others paid him no mind.

Meanwhile, a senior known as Daichi dared to eat the slop as he stared at a girl, along with his two pals. She was around their age and was too busy to realize that the three boys were staring at her. “Do you think I have a chance with Kiyoko?”

The two men, called Suga and Asahi by their peers, focused their attention on him and said in sync, “No.” Each had varying amounts of disgust.

Daichi threw down his spoon in defeat, “You guys are the worst.”

Finally, after what seemed like a lifelong search, the lost cadet sat at a random table. The kids that were sitting there originally paid him no mind; but once they saw incoming classmates they left in revulsion.

“I’m telling you, the new model sucks. The thrusters are weak, the metal looks cheap, and do I really have to say anything about the flame decals?” commented a blond cadet.

“Okay, okay, I get it. You don’t like it. What a surprise,” said his freckled comrade, rolling his eyes in the process. Both of their cheesy smiles faded when they laid eyes upon Hinata. “Can we help you?”

“Were you guys sitting here? Sorry it’s just that I can’t find a table and-”

“It doesn’t matter. Just don’t bother us, okay?” snapped the blond one. Turning to his friend, he continued, “I prefer the Omega model. It’s sleeker, faster, and-”

“Wait, are you guys talking about the newest spaceships?” Hinata interrupted. The blond cadet glared at him and muttered, “Yes, we were.” He threw a magazine onto the table, with the beautiful Omega ship displayed on it’s pages.

“I see. But I like the Alpha model the best. Sure it’s bulkier, but it’s just as fast.”

The cadet grolwed. What does a nobody from the Sun know about spaceships?

As the two newcomers tried to make up an opinion on Hinata, a table of older cadets gossiped by themselves. Among them was the Academy’s pride and joy, Oikawa Tooru. He scowled at the table where Ushijima sat.

“I don’t know why he’s so popular with the teachers. He’s a shit pilot,” he murmured, staring at the food.

“That’s because he isn’t training to be a pilot, dumbass,” spat Iwazumi, who flung the mystery meat around the tray. “He’s gonna be an engineer.”

“An engineer. Even worse.”

“I don’t know why you care about him so much. You’re the one with the better grades,” chirped Hanamaki. “And I’m not saying that because I want to be your cronie. It’s a fact.”

Oikawa swept his hair to the side, summoning as much internal hubris as possible. “You’re right. I am smarter than Ushiwaka.” “God you’re an asshole,” Iwazumi grumbled. Matsukawa snorted.

Taking his spoon, he scooped up a bunch of mystery meat and aimed at Ushijima’s back. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it,” warned Iwazumi.

“Relax, I’m not gonna do anything stupid.”

“Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes. And you wanna know who suffers? Me! And everyone else!”

“Chill Hajime; I got this.” Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Oikawa flung the food without regret. It landed on his target’s back with a SPLAT! Ushijima himself stumbled from the impact.

“Oh no,” whispered Hanamaki.

Turning around, he grabbed some of the meat from his back and stared at it. Tendou, who had been there the entire time, screamed with childlike delight, “FOOD FIGHT!”

Almost instantly, the cafeteria had turned into a warzone. Friends betrayed friends; smothering each other in the horrendous mystery meat. Some managed to block getting hit by hiding under the table or shielding themselves with their tray, but they too succumbed into the play war.

Our salty blond cadet did not take part in the activity. Instead, he read from his magazine. “This is childish,” mumbled he. Looking at Hinata and then his food, the freckled cadet began to smirk maliciously.

“H-Hey now. You wouldn’t hurt a fellow cadet, would you?” Hinata threw his arms up in surrender. “Actually, I would.”

In a blink of an eye, Hinata came face-to-face with a pile of mystery meat. He wiped it off his face and mimicked the smirk the other cadet made earlier. “Oh it’s on!” The two were thrown into a mini food battle, which ended with the blond cadet having chunks of meatballs cover his glasses and precious magazine

“Augh! Yamaguchi what the hell!” the cadet threw down his magazine in disgust. Giggling, Yamaguchi cheerfully said with no remorse, “Sorry Tsukki!”

The food fight reached its peak as third year Sawamura Daichi swallowed a bit of someone’s mystery meat by accident. He began to cough, saying, “Shit! That’s nasty!”

Taking advantage of this, Sugawara showered him in a bowl of macaroni and cheese. “Aw man! Suga you know that’s hard to get out of your hair!”

Asahi was about to throw a meatball until a droid caught his hand. Everyone immediately stopped as he struggled under its grip.

“ _Cadet_ ,” began the droid, “ _you are violating Rule 728 Section 3. Any form of violent activity beyond the classroom is prohibited. The punishment is one day’s worth of detention. Please give your ID number and the punishment will commence._ ”

“C’mon, Bravo, we were just foolin’ around. No big deal,” Asahi brushed off the droid, but to no avail. “ _Any form of retaliation will earn you 5 demerits and 3 days detention. Now, ID number._ ”

The droid motioned for the cadet to turn his shoulder, and he complied. Scanning it, a feminine robotic voice chirped, “ID number K-0-0-3. Azumane Asahi.” After this, more droids poured into the cafeteria and scanned students shoulders.

“ _ID number K-0-0-2. Sugawara Koushi._ ”

“ _ID number N-0-0-1. Kuroo Tetsuro._ ”

“ _I_ _D number F-0-0-4. Bokuto Kotarou._ ”

“ _ID number A-0-0-3. Matsukawa Issei._ ”

“ _ID number K-0-1-2. Yamaguchi Tadashi._ ”

“ _ID number K-0-1-0. Hinata Shoyo._ ”

“ _ID number K-0-1-1. Tsukishima Kei,_ ” the drone moved away as Tsukishima protested. “Wait! I had nothing to do with this!” He shot a glare at Yamaguchi and Hinata. “Thanks a lot, you idiots.”

Entering the room was the Director of Discipline, who crossed his arms and scoffed. “I cannot believe this! Our very own cadets, acting like children! Who started this?”

Everyone pointed to Oikawa, who smiled sheepishly as Iwazumi growled. “Told you.”

*

If there was one thing Hinata learned that day, it was that detention was boring as hell. From a school like EMSA you'd expect a harsher form of punishment. However, they'd rather let their students suffer with their thoughts.

The kids inside the classroom were watching an old video about behavior when the Director of Discipline entered. They suddenly perked up as he turned off the video.

“Now,” he cleared his throat as he placed his hands behind his back, “will one of you care to tell me why I had to walk into a cafeteria full of you idiotic cadets throwing food at each other?”

A kid raised their hand. “Oikawa threw some meat at Ushijima and it seemed like fun so…”

“Fun?” spat the Director. “Fun?! You're not supposed to have fun! This is a military space academy. You'll have fun when you’re dead.” Hinata began to wince at this.

The Director turned to Oikawa; his rage showing no signs of faltering. “And you! I’m very disappointed in your behavior. You’re the best pilot in Blue Division! I expect more from you.”

He looked up. “In fact, I expect more from all of you. You worked your asses off to get a recommendation letter and this is what you do afterward? Here at EMSA we don’t attend to childish actions. You’re not here to have fun. You’re here to fight, to survive, to deal with intergalactic problems if they arise. As punishment, you will clean up all the food in the cafeteria, starting now. On top of that, first years will have 5 demerits, second years will have 7, third years will have 10.” Almost immediately everyone began to panic.

“Seven demerits? My parents will kill me!”

“I can’t afford another demerit! This sucks!”

“Thanks Oikawa.”

“Five demerits? What are demerits even?” Yamaguchi tried to wrap his head around the concept. Tsukishima shrugged, eyes still focused on his dirty magazine, “Dunno. I think adults just made it up to see us suffer.”

“Alright, quiet. QUIET!” screamed the Director of Discipline. It was so silent in the classroom you could hear a pin drop. “Your punishment starts now, so get outta here!” Opening the door, miserable cadets headed to the cafeteria.

“Five demerits. I can’t believe I’m going to have five demerits-”

“Relax, little shrimp, the DoD isn’t serious. He just says that to scare the pants out of us. You’ll probably get a demerit or two at best,” said Oikawa, with Iwazumi at his side. As they left, Iwazumi smacked Oikawa upside in the head.

Hinata, now calm, ran up to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. “Hey! Where ya goin? Cafeteria’s that way?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, the ‘punishment’. I’d rather not. It’s a waste of my time,” Tsukishima cleaned his glasses. “Besides, so many people were involved I don’t think they’ll care about two missing kids.”

Yamaguchi nodded, “We’re going to the hangar. Wanna come?” Tsukishima turned to him and gave him a looked that screamed _oh fuck no_.

Hinata gasped. “Holy shit we have a hangar?”

The two cadets looked at each other, as if they were reading minds. “Yeah,” Yamaguchi said in a know-it-all tone, “it is a space academy after all.”

“Anyways,” Tsukishima wrapped his arm around his friend, “you have a cafeteria to clean, so later.” The two walked away, snickering.

Hinata’s face fell as he headed the other direction. It wasn’t his fault that he was curious about seeing a hangar. His school couldn’t even afford it! He wasn’t stupid or anything.

Well, not that stupid.

It didn’t take long for the cafeteria to be squeaky-clean, but by the time it was over every bone in Hinata’s body ached. He dragged his feet all the way to his dorm room. He was about to fall on his bed and call it a night when he saw him again.

Him. The mystery boy. The really mean kid that saved him.

Looking up from the exact same magazine that Tsukishima had, the stranger muttered, “You gotta be kidding me.”

“It’s you! What are you doing here? Why are you my roommate?”

“Does it look like I asked to be your roommate? I’d rather sleep in the bathroom,” he fell back onto the bed and tried his best to ignore the Sun boy. Hinata wanted to feel emotionally hurt, but he was too tired to do so.

Yawning, he asked, “Where’d you get the magazine? Literally everyone here has one!” Mystery boy pointed to the bed.

“Oh.”

Lying on his bed with his hands behind his head, Hinata began to talk. “Hey, mystery guy?”

He grunted in response.

“Why do people hate me?”

Not looking up from the magazine, the stranger replied, “You’re loud, annoying, and smell like a flaming piece of garbage. On a Monday.”

Suddenly self aware, he sniffed his armpit. _Note to self_ , he thought, _take a shower_.

When all was quiet again, the stranger glanced at Hinata and began to speak. “Kageyama Tobio.”

“What?”

“You were asking me about my name before. It’s Kageyama Tobio,” he flipped a page, then threw the magazine aside. Turning off his light, he repositioned his pillow and said, “Good night.” Hinata did not respond, however, for he was long asleep.

Kageyama smiled to himself.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which the boys try to get along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I am just learning to notice the different colors of the stars, and already begin to have a new enjoyment."
> 
> — Maria Mitchell

“Not again!”

Hinata dashed back into his dorm room; his orange hair soaked and making puddles on the floor. “I’m gonna be late again!”

He was halfway done with putting on his pants when Kageyama woke up. “Oi, could you shut up? Some of you are trying to sleep here.”

“Whaddya mean sleep? Classes begin at 8:00!” Hinata buttoned his shirt.

Kageyama looked at the clock. It was 7:57.

“Shit!” He ran out of the bed and dressed himself with haste. “Hurry up man the teacher’s gonna kill us!”

“Us? We don’t have the same…” He looked at the other boy’s schedule, then at his. They were both identical.

“End me now.”

“Dress now, be a sarcastic asshole later. Now put on your shirt and lets go!” Hinata threw it at Kageyama, who was angry yet grateful he did so. Uniforms on, both of them rushed out of the dorm room and to their first class.

After traveling two flights of stairs they tried to enter their classroom, but the teacher closed the door on them. The two hit their heads on the glass as the kids inside giggled. Scowling, the teacher opened the door.

“Right. What’s your excuse?” she crossed her arms. The two cadets looked at each other. “We woke up...late?”

“Two demerits. The both of you. Have a seat.” Quietly, they both sat down far from each other. As Hinata took his seat, he’d realized that he was sitting next to Tsukishima. The other cadet noticed quickly and rolled his eyes.

“Hey, it’s you! Thanks for making me clean up the whole cafeteria by myself, asshole!” the Sun boy hissed.

“Right. Who was the one who threw meatballs at my glasses?” Tsukishima fired back. Hinata fell silent. “Thought so.”

Activating a projector, the screen lit up with the galactic bodies of the solar system. All the children stared up in amazement.

“Alright cadets. Welcome to Intro to Space! I’m your teacher, Dr. Ravansha, and we will be learning about all the components of our solar system. This includes its’ history, geography, and government.

“Now today we will be learning about the most important figure out of the entire solar system: the Sun. And it just so happens that we have a student from there! So, Hinata, could you explain to us your home?”

Hinata perked up and realized Dr. Ravansha was talking to him. Slowly, he walked up over to the board and stared back at his peers. It was there when he had an epiphany.

Nobody hated him because he was annoying or any of those things Kageyama said. They loathed him because he was teacher's pet.

It all made sense! Nobody _that good_ came from the Sun! No one except Hinata! Of course, he wasn’t _Oikawa_ good or _Daichi_ good, but he could learn! He was gonna become the best pilot EMSA had ever seen!

Speaking with a bit of confidence, he said, “Uh, hi! I’m Hinata Shoyo and I’m from the Sun. It isn’t all that dangerous, y’know. Ya see, the blazing hot outer shell is just a protective barrier. Inside, our core is small and has no large body of water.

“Back home, we call our planet Helios, after the Greek god of day-”

“Actually,” Tsukishima cut him off, “Helios is the Greek god of the _Sun_ , not the day.” Hinata gave a fake smile to him.

“Anyways, I’m from this part,” he pointed to the top of the Sun. “Sector 6: Xochitil. It’s kinda poor and small, but it’s beautiful! There are these large canyons and vast deserts and-”

“Okay Hinata, thank you. You could sit down now.” A bit disappointed but happy to have spoken about his homeland, the cadet obliged.

Dr. Ravansha continued, “Everything he said is correct. Despite having no large body of water, the Sun contains a lot of rivers and streams. The only land mass that connects the sectors are scorching deserts. Most transport by…” She had turned to Hinata, waiting for him to fill in her sentence.

“Hm? Oh, uh, by cruiser.”

“Right. The people of the Sun have inhabited the star since 2023, making it one of the first colonies ever established. It gained independence from Earth some 300 years later and became the celestial body we all know and love today. Unlike most of the planets and dwarfs…”

As Dr. Ravansha droned on about the Sun’s form of government, Yamaguchi spent his time on his tablet. Ignoring the other planets it displayed, he clicked on Neptune and slowly absorbed the information. However, something caught his eye.

_Thousands Misplaced After Attack Rocks Neptune’s Slums_

Intrigued, he clicked the article and skimmed through it, capturing a few words.

_Year 3020_

_Slum city of Suichu Okoku_

_Dead_

_Missing_

_Alien attack_

His heart began to race. Why did this sound so familiar? Was he apart of this? Why can’t he remember?

“Cadet Yamaguchi,” Dr. Ravansha caught his attention. His head jolted up quickly at the sound of his name. “Repeat to me what I had just said.”

Yamaguchi began to look around nervously as his peers waited for the answer. Taking a deep breath, he said, “That the Sun is ruled by a council of elders; and every year they meet up and discuss the welfare of the star.”

Despite not having paying attention to the lesson, the teacher was impressed that he’d known that off the bat. “You’re… correct.”

The period bell rang with an eerie echo. Students got up and left the classroom as Dr. Ravansha said, “For homework tonight please complete the worksheets that I gave you!”

“Hey, are you okay? I saw you scrolling around during class,” Tsukishima stuffed his hands in his pockets as Yamaguchi turned off his tablet. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he brushed him off, “Let’s just get to class.”

*

By lunchtime Kageyama was planning to smother Hinata in his sleep.

Because they had identical schedules, the future-pilot followed him around like a lost, outgoing puppy. During Engineering they were partnered up and forced to work on a plane engine. Of course, this resulted in fighting and the destruction of said engine. While at Alien Linguistics, Hinata made an attempt to teach his roommate the complicated Sun dialect. In short, he failed. Miserably.

Entering the cafeteria, Kageyama looked around anxiously and prayed to the gods that he’d lost Hinata somehow. Taking a tray, he cautiously accessed the food line when he bumped into a fellow cadet.

“Watch it!” barked the classmate, but his agitated expression melted when he recognized who it was. “Well if it isn’t dear Tobio.”

“Uh…” Kageyama averted his eyes, trying to remember the cadet. “Do I know you?”

“C’mon man, we were in the same military class back in Jupiter! Does Kindaichi ring a bell?”

It took a few seconds, but the pieces finally fell into place. “Oh, right! It’s been a while.”

“Yeah! I see you’re in the Black Division,” Kindaichi pointed to his black trim. Kageyama hadn’t paid much attention to it until now. “Yeah, I guess.” He stared at his fellow cadets blue trim. “Blue Division?”

“Yup! We’ve got the best pilot,” he motioned over to Oikawa, who was balancing jelly beans on the bridge of his nose.

Kageyama recognized him immediately with wide, almost fright-filled eyes. “No kidding.”

As the line moved downwards, Kindaichi said, “Y’know, I never really liked you. You were kind of an asshole; pretending to be a pilot when you’re not. It annoyed the holy hell outta me.”

Those horrid memories of his youth began to arise. “Right. Listen, Kindaichi, I’m really sorry-”

“Oh no need to apologize. After all, you were the entitled one out of all of us. Becoming top student in our class, getting personally chosen by the Admin Director while the rest of us kicked our own ass to get a sliver of your appreciation. I’m glad it worked out for you. You deserve it, Kageyama Tobio.”

Kageyama began to shudder in fear. He could practically feel the venom in Kindaichi's little speech. Instead of cowering away, however, anger began to grow.

“Me? The entitled one? I wasn’t the one who grew up in a lavish Jupiterian mansion. I wasn’t the one who threw a fucking tantrum because I didn’t get into military academy on the first try. I wasn’t the one who slacked off on all of his classes. I didn’t get my recommendation letter handed to me, Kindaichi. That was you. All you. So I’d shut the hell up because you know damn well I’m not the one who was entitled,” the cadet spat at Kindaichi. He was mere inches away from his face when he drew back and left the line.

Fright and fury boiling in his blood, Kindaichi yelled, “I’ll become better than you someday!”

 _I’d like to see you try,_ thought Kageyama bitterly.

Fuming, he slammed his tray down at a table and threw himself onto the seat. “What?”

“You okay there, Bakugo?” Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, eating his mashed potatoes. “No,” scoffed Kageyama. “Who’s Bakugo?”

“Beats me,” Yamaguchi slurped up his noodles.

The once angry cadet cooled down and sighed. “I’m just glad Hinata’s not here. If he says another word about plane engines or how bad I suck at the Sun dialect I’m walking out of here.”

Tsukishima nodded. “Hey look it's Hinata.”

“Hahaha very funny-” “Hey guys! I just got out of Astrophysics and I took the best nap ever! Thing is, I got another two demerits,” Hinata sat down next to Kageyama, who was trying to burn a hole in his head. “What happened to you?”

“He met some kid from his past and now he’s pissed,” Tsukishima scooped some more mashed potatoes with his spoon and ate it. “They went to the same school, I think. Jupiterian Military Academy for Boys.What did they used to call you again? The King of the Controls?”

“Don’t call me that,” Kageyama grumbled. “Sorry, what did you say, Your Majesty? Can’t hear ya,” the blond cadet smirked.

“Shut the hell up before I wipe that smirk off your face,” he stood up and grabbed Tsukishima by the collar. “Let’s go right now, Your Highness. I’m not afraid of you ,” the other boy fixed his glasses.

“Guys stop it! I just cleaned this cafeteria yesterday!” Hinata shoved the two apart. They sat down without a word. “Look, I know the two of you don’t like each other-or that none of us like each other, rather- but we’re stuck with one another until our third year! We need to get along, no matter how bad we wanna punch each other in the face.”

Hinata’s words sank into all of their skins, including his own. Finding the courage to speak, Yamaguchi squeaked, “He’s got a point.” Surrendering to his friend’s opinion, Tsukishima sighed, “Fine, but don’t expect me to braid your hair, Kags.”

“Like you’d do a good job,” the cold-eyed cadet growled in response. An uneasy calm fell over the first years’ table.

“See, guys? Told you we could get along,” Hinata smiled, but Kageyama and Tsukishima still glared at each other.

“Y’know,” started the Sun boy, trying to break the ice between the two, “I’ve been thinking. If we keep this up, we could form a crew!”

“Hell no.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’d rather eat slugs for a month than form a crew.”

Hinata sank in his seat. It was worth a shot.

*

The halls of the _S.S. Little Crow_ were hauntingly quiet. Since the third years ended classes early, usually Daichi and Suga would wander around the ship and talk the afternoon away.

But today there was no Sugawara. No Daichi. Just Asahi.

Walking near the cockpit, he found a bunch of weapons crudely taken apart, as if a child had ripped it with their hands. On top of the heap was a note, saying, _Found these in the junkyard. Think they could be of use? By the way, I found that piece you were looking for. Was hard to find, but it’s there. You’re welcome._

Suddenly aware of this, Asahi dug through the pile and found the part the letter spoke of. It was silver color with a light blue color at the bottom. The object was the size of his palm.  

Smiling to himself, he muttered, “Thanks, Yuu.” Stuffing it in his pocket, a stranger said with heavy sarcasm, “Wow. Weapon parts? It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

Startled, Asahi jerked his head to the direction of the voice, who was none other than Oikawa. He was sprawled across the cushion and drank a box of apple juice, making him look like a little kid. Asahi sighed, relieved it wasn’t an actual threat, “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to drag Papa Daichi for some drinks, but I ended up getting a discount Jesus,” Oikawa snapped, taking another sip.

Asahi quickly looked into the mirror bolted into the wall. He did not look like a discount Jesus.

“Daichi’s not here, as you can see, so get out,” he said with a hint of malice. “Nah. Don’t feel like it.”

He rubbed his temples, clearly done with Oikawa’s bullshit. How the hell does Iwazumi deal with this guy?

“So, Asahi, my buddy chum pal, where are you getting shipped off to?” Oikawa got up and threw his flimsy juice box in the trash. He missed. By a lot.

“To The _Knot_ , I guess;” Asahi stuffed his hands in his pockets, “they hadn’t really told me anything.” The _Knot_ , dear reader, was a spaceship owned by the space academy that protects Earth from intergalactic threats. “What about you? Did you tell your crew about your acceptance?”

“No,” he scratched the back of his neck. “I can’t bring myself to. Every time I try to tell them I just… they’ll fall apart without me, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Silence.

“By the way, what the hell kinda name is _S.S. Little Crow_?”

“Get out, Oikawa,” Asahi pushed him to the door as he protested. “No, I’m so serious! Who came up with the name? No don’t tell me! It was Sawamura, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, and who are you to judge? You almost named your ship the _Millenium Falcon_! No one even remembers Star Wars!”

Oikawa let out a gasp. “You take that back!”

They had both laughed a bit but a hint of quiet quickly filled the air. “Good luck at the League.”

“Thanks, Jesus.” Asahi cringed at his not-so-new nickname. “See ya at the Sendoff,” Oikawa saluted and left.

*

“Kags! Wait up!”

“What’s up with everybody calling me Kags all of a sudden. Is that my new nickname?” Kageyama asked as Hinata caught up. They began to walk side by side when he said, “I guess. Y’know, since we can’t call you-” he looked up and realized the cadet was glaring at him.

“Right. So, where are we going?”

“We have a flight lesson with some old commander guy,” he said vaguely.

“Really? Awesome! I’ve been itching to pilot something ever since I got here!”

Surprised, Kageyama asked, “Wait, seriously? Are you training to be a pilot or something?” With a confused look, Hinata answered, “Well, yeah. I mean, it wasn’t that obvious?”

He shook his head in response, trying to get the image of the Sun boy actually becoming a pilot, “Sorry. It's just that you look more like an engineer to me.”

“Is it because of my height?”

“...yeah.”

“Makes sense.”

The two entered the hangar, which the ships of EMSA were stored. Many ranged in size and color; one of them looking like a box. More kids pooled into the room and approached a young man who wore many military medals. They trembled at the sight of him.

“Ah!” He exclaimed, “You must be the first years!” Noticing how tense they were, he added, “Relax! I’m not gonna hurt ya! I’ll leave that to you peers.”

That did not make them feel any better.

As they all gathered around him, the cadets began to calm down and put their hands behind their backs. “I’m Commander Thane O’Brien, and I’ll be conducting your flight test today. It’s important to know how to fly a spaceship, in case your pilot is dead, wounded, or MIA. For those of you training to become pilots, this test is of utmost importance. For others, it's good to have this information stored in the back of your head.

“Your grade will be based off of a 10 point system. 1.0-4.0 means you did poorly. 5.0-7.0 means you did mediocre, and 8.0 to 9.0 means you exceed expectations. 10 means that you passed with flying colors, but no one has ever gotten a 10 before.

 _We’ll see about that,_ Hinata thought.

“Today you will fly through a course around the facility. It is filled with many obstacles, which mimic the real life ones you will potentially face. You’ll be using the spacecraft the _Minoa_ for this exercise.” Commander Thane extended his hand over to a glistening orange ship.

It’s wings were pure gold and gleamed in the sunlight. The sleek exterior was made out of a smooth yet sturdy silver metal. The engine hummed like a bird as it made its descent onto the landing pad. Opening the hatch, a young man came out and took off his helmet. He smiled and looked over to the commander. “Am I late, Commander Thane?”

“No, actually. Right on time,” he said as the student stood by his side. It didn’t take long for the cadets to recognize the pilot as Sawamura Daichi; Black Division’s golden boy.

“Wow, that’s really him?”

“I can’t believe it. He looks even cooler in person!”

“Damn he’s cute!” Were the responses of the shell-shocked cadets.

“Is that really Daichi? I’d thought he'd look more intimidating,” Hinata leaned in and whispered. “I thought so too,” Kageyama responded, copying his actions.

“Alright, alright! Without further ado, let us begin the test!” Commander Thane looked over to Daichi, who read from a slip of paper, “ID number N-0-1-1, Lev Haiba. Is there a Lev Haiba here?” Silence filled the hall as he called put the absent cadet’s name again. For a while, there was nothing. Then a tall, silver haired first year began to push through the crowd.

“‘Scuse me! Sorry! Pardon me! Yeah, I’m Lev. Whaddya need me for?”

“Your flight test,” glared Daichi. “You’re several minutes late.”

“Sorry about that! I was taking a really hard Astronomy quiz and-” “Forget it. Just get in and get it over with. You wasted enough time already,” Commander Thane brushed him off. Lev nodded and boarded the _Minoa_.

Watching on a flat screen TV, the first years saw their comrade do loops and turns. He passed by the obstacles, but it cost him points. On a scoreboard, it recorded his results: _Lev Haiba, 7.2_.

“7.2? Really?!” Lev exclaimed as he took of the helmet. “I didn’t think I’d get that high!”

“Please,” scoffed Hinata, “I can get higher than a 7.2 in my sleep.” He waited for Kageyama to answer, but he was too busy giving the stink eye to Kindaichi, who was kindly returning the favor.

“Next cadet!” commanded Thane.

Time passed slowly, and one by one each cadet’s score was displayed.

_Kindaichi Yutarou, 5.5._

_Kunimi Akira, 6.3._

_Kageyama Tobio, 9.3._

“9.3?” exclaimed Hinata. “Damn he’s good!”

“Next cadet! ID number K-0-1-0, Hinata Shoyo!” Daichi announced. Realizing he was calling his ID, the cadet approached him. His fellow students glared at him in the process.

Receiving the helmet, Hinata looked back at Kageyama, who wasn’t staring with envy like his classmates. He gave him a nod, as if he were saying, _Prove your worth._ He did the same.

Putting on the helmet, Hinata boarded the _Minoa_ and marveled at it’s controls. He grew a little nervous, for he forgot which button actually activated the ship. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, summoning all the knowledge he obtained from his measly classes back at the Sun. Without hesitation, the cadet opened them.

Hinata pressed the ignition button.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which Hinata breaks a record.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm interested in man's march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time. Neither is a fiery crash with the vomit hovering over me."— William Shatner

The  _ Minoa  _ came to life with a harmonious hum and began to hover. He let out a small laugh as he grabbed the two joysticks that controlled the plane’s movement. Turning around the ship, he pushed them forward, and the plane took off without warning.

Many of the cadets admired his actions, but they weren't so kind about it. “Show off,” scowled one of them.

Kageyama watched in pure amazement, saying nothing.

Maneuvering the  _ Minoa _ was actually easier than Hinata had originally thought. It was less of a hassle to pilot than the Alpha planes that he grew so used to. He shuddered at the thought of using them again.

Entering the first obstacle, he shifted the joysticks slightly. The ship increased in speed when suddenly a laser had shot at it’s hull. Hinata cursed under his breath and lowers the joysticks, dodging more lasers in the process. It didn’t take long for him to realize that the guns that fired them were following the  _ Minoa _ ’s movements. 

Concocting a plan at the speed of light, Hinata brought the plane close to one of the guns. Recognizing it as a threat the gun fired, but the cadet moved the ship out of range so quickly the cannon ended up firing at it’s twin.

Back at the hangar, the students watched awestruck as Hinata continously dodged and misguided the cannons. “How does he do that?” asked one of them. Another cadet shrugged, “Dunno. But your timing’s gotta be on point to miss accurate fire like that.”

As more first years marveled at their fellow cadet, others bashed him. “Please. He’s not that good.”

Now entering the second obstacle, Hinata looked around the surrounding canyon with adrenaline pumping in his blood. Nothing there seemed harmful, so he proceeded with caution and confusion. Wasn’t there supposed to be something that was trying to kill you?

And then there was: a landslide.

“Shit!” Hinata exclaimed and tried to evade the falling rocks, but no use. He tried exiting the canyon all together by flying upward, but the boulders kept him down. Breathing heavily, he tried to think his way out of this. Then the idea hit him like a ton of bricks. Or a volleyball.

Searching the control panel, he found a button that shot out small cannonballs of energy. Without hesitation he fired at the crumbling rocks. They disintegrated in an instant.

Realizing it had worked, Hinata let out a laugh of disbelief. Smirking, he increased the  _ Minoa’ _ s speed and used his newfound weapon on the cascading formations that threatened his life. Sooner than he thought, he’d entered the final obstacle. Detecting the  _ Minoa _ ’s motion, drones embedded in the canyon came out and followed Hinata.

“Drones? Really?” the cadet scoffed, unimpressed. As if it were on cue, the drone released a ball of electricity that knocked out the ship’s power. Hinata was dead in the air.

“I spoke too soon.”

Without power, the Minoa began it’s frightful descent into the river that lay below the canyon. Hinata fell face first into the windshield and pulled himself off seconds after. As the blue, swirling body of water grew closer, he began to panic. 

“Uh, ship? Activate? Please?”

The river grew closer.

“Activate! Turn on! Initiate backup power!” the cadet pressed any button he laid his hands on, desperately wishing it will reactivate the  _ Minoa _ . Suddenly, a robotic voice went off and said,  _ Initiating backup power. _ Within mere seconds the  _ Minoa _ hummed to life and shot itself towards the sky.

Relieved that he didn’t face a watery grave, Hinata took the controls and moved the plane in the direction of the canyon. “Let’s do this.”

Jerking the controls furiously to the side, the drones couldn’t keep up and smashed into the rocky wall. Only one out of the three robots remained. 

Hinata smirked.

He fired an energy cannonball the same time the drone shot out it’s electricity sphere. In an instant, both the drone’s and the ship’s ammunition collided with one another and resulted in an explosion. The drone was almost immediately decimated.

Completing the three obstacles, Hinata screamed at the top of his lungs and threw his fists up in the air. Unbeknownst to him, the cadets cheered for him too. 

Kageyama stared at the screen in disbelief. “What the hell…”

Arriving back in the hangar, Hinata was greeted with a hero’s welcome. Cadets shoved one another to talk to him.

“Wow, Shoyo, that was amazing!”

“How’d you do that?”

“Can you teach me?”

“Soldiers! At ease!” Commander Thane shouted at the jumpy first years. Fear rising in their veins, they obeyed without any delay. Sighing, he said, “This will be the last grade recorded for the day.”

All attention was drawn to the scoreboard. Will Hinata finally get the envied score of 10 points? Hearts began to pound ferociously as their newfound champion’s name appeared. 

_ Hinata Shoyo, 9.7. _

Everyone gasped, including Hinata himself. People began discussing the score amongst themselves, wondering if anyone ever gotten a 9.7 on a flight test before. The hard thing to come to terms with, however, is the fact that Hinata Shoyo got ten points higher than the supposed King of the Controls.

“Cadet Hinata Shoyo,” Commander Thane began as everyone turned to him, “what you did was… reckless to say the least. On the contrary, I’ve never seen anyone with your bravery and wit earn a 9.7 on this test. You have a lot to be proud of.”

After his mini speech, the students raised up the Sun boy and paraded around the hangar. They chanted his name as if it were a sacred song.

Commander Thane leaned over to Daichi, who was still shocked, “You should take him in as your novice.” “You really think so?” asked the Black Division pilot. The commander nodded, “I believe that under your guidance he will flourish and improve. I dream that one day he will become an important asset to the Earthling fleet.”

The two men talked away as Kageyama watched Hinata’s entourage from a distance. Breaking the silence, Kindaichi uncrossed his arms and said, “It seems like you’ve met your match, Your Majesty.” He winced at his childhood nickname as the enraged Jupiterian left.

Approaching the crowd, the mystery boy put his hands to his hips when Hinata walked up to him. “Kageyama did you see me?! I was all  _ whoosh _ and  _ zoom _ and…”

“I saw. Congrats on getting the highest score,” he nudged the cadet’s shoulder playfully. “Thanks! Aren’t you mad that I got higher than you?”

“Nah, cause next time I’m gonna beat you,” Kageyama looked smug. The students watched helplessly as Hinata dared to ask, “Kags, are you challenging me?”

“What do you think?” he crossed his arms.

“Oh you’re so on!” The two shook hands as the first years erupted in cheer, for they couldn’t wait to see their classmates face off in a match.

They never got to battle.

*

Darkness. It crept up on the planet like a parasite waiting to strike it’s host. 

The scientists at the observatory were the first ones to notice this abnormality. They had all gathered around a telescope and took notes on it. What they saw shook everyone to the core.

A ship, bigger than any of the ones on the EMSA’s fleet, flying dangerously close to the Earth. Large spikes protruded from its hull. The entire craft itself was covered in a dark violet color. 

“Is that what I think it is?” a scientist dared to ask. “No,” responded another, “it can’t be. We destroyed them years ago.”

Suddenly, a small platoon of EMSA ships attacked the vessel; the scientists gasping in response. They watched helplessly as the ship’s weapons did nothing to the enemy plane. As soon as the fleet was deployed, they were decimated by the foreign ship. 

“Oh no.” 

Great balls of fire fell from the sky and penetrated the atmosphere. This sent the scientists abuzz. 

“Get General Ukai and inform him that the Green Division fleet is down!” shouted one of them. A young, nerdy looking biologist nodded and ran out of the observatory.

One of the planes, called the  _ Silver Snake _ , crashed landed into the sandy ground. The hull was set aflame. The engines leaked oil. 

The entryway popped open with a soft  _ hiss _ . A pilot, around the same age as the third years, fell down and took off his helmet. His unusually dark olive hair was slicked with blood. His eyesight was hazy.

A guard had noticed the pilot and ran towards him. “Daishou! Daishou are you okay? What happened to the fleet?”

“We were attacked…” said the young captain, falling in and out of consciousness. “Cluster… galaxy...they’re back.”

“Who’s back? Speak to me Daishou!” the guard shook him vigorously.

Daishou looked at him with frightful eyes that seemed to be on the verge of insanity, “The monsters.”

*

“Where’d you learn to fly like that?”

Hinata stopped slurping his noodles and looked up. It seems that the hype from yesterday isn’t going to die down anytime soon.

Kageyama stared at him, waiting for an answer. “Well?” Finishing his noodles, he said, “I’m...self taught?” He frowned, still not believing him.

“Well, if it isn’t Idiot 1 and Idiot 2,” Tsukishima yawned as he and Yamaguchi sat with the two cadets. 

“And good morning to you too, asshole.” Kageyama growled.

“So,” Tsukishima took out a soggy bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, “heard about your flight test. First guy to get 9.7 huh?” “Hm? Oh, yeah. It isn’t that big of a deal…”

“Don’t be so humble. Literally everyone was talking about your achievement,” the blond cadet bit into his sandwich, immediately regretting it. “What a waste of three galaxies.”

“So, what score did you guys get?” Hinata leaned on top of the table. Not looking up, Tsukishima responded, “8.6.” “9.4!” Yamaguchi chirped.

“Damn Kageyama. You got outscored by, not one, but  _ two _ of your friends. Who’s the King of the Controls now?” Hinata smirked. His face was promptly smothered onto the table by said king.

“Sheesh, Your Majesty, no need to be so violent,” said their salty comrade. Behind them, a crowd began to form as cadets huddled around a small TV. They talked in low, worried whispers. 

Yamaguchi saw the whole thing unfold. “What is that?” Immediately, the other three cadets turned and faced his direction.

They couldn’t see very well, but on the screen were images of spaceships on fire and security footage of a crash landing. As if they were watching a jumpscare movie, an image of an ungodly beast appeared. Cadets gasped and cowered away, consumed with fear. 

“Sweet Jesus!” jumped Hinata. “What the hell was that thing?” asked Kageyama, who seemed a bit startled but mostly unphased. 

Tsukishima glared at the screen. He knew damn well what that thing was. And someday, he was going to find them.

The day moved on as usual, despite the fact that everyone was on edge. Teachers were equally frightened as their students, but gave them a false sense of bravery to rely on.

Intro to Space was no different. Dr. Ravansha would normally become very excited once she started talking about a planet and it’s culture, but today she was merely a shadow of her normal self.

“Okay class, I know this doesn’t exactly have to do with planets, but General Ukai is forcing all teachers to show you this so pay attention. What you’re about to learn will frighten you, but it will also strengthen you, and show you that nothing in this universe is as safe and secure as the world your adults have created for you,” she ran her fingers through her hair, clearly distressed. Pressing a button on her remote, the horrifying picture from before reappeared. This time no one screamed, but their personal fear paralyzed them.

The creature was a pale cream color, with jet black eyes that seemed soulless. It had two sets of mouths, each complete with sharp teeth and tentacle-like tongues. You couldn’t see, but the beast was on it’s hind legs; which had even sharper claws.

“This,” Dr. Ravansha pointed to the picture, “is a Nameless. Nobody knows where they came from, but they are believed to be the first creatures created in this universe. They are called Nameless because if you are bitten by one, you yourself will turn into one of these monsters and forget your past self. They are extremely dangerous, and they are back.”

Now it was time for the cadets to gasp. “Dr. Ravansha,” asked a cadet, “what do you mean by ‘back’?”

“Long ago, a peculiar event occurred in our galaxy. This caused the Nameless to retreat in the deepest, darkest corners of the Milky Way. Now, for reasons unknown, they have been reappearing and launching horrific attacks, like the one in Suichu Okoku.”

Yamaguchi’s head shot up. “The Nameless attacked Suichu Okoku?”

“Yes,” she answered with a solemn tone, “they did. Thousands died that day. The city never recovered.”

Dr. Ravansha refocused her attention on the class, “Because of the attack that occurred last night, your training will grow more rigorous. These savages will not have mercy on you; especially when you are this young. Remember to focus. Don’t let any of their attacks phase you. Grow strong, and stay safe.”

Turning off the projector, she dismissed the class. Yamaguchi didn’t recognize it at the time, but Tsukishima balled up his fists so tight that this nails were digging into his skin.

*

“That was intense.”

Hinata fell on top of his bed as Kageyama read the spaceship magazine for about the hundredth time. “Guess you can say that,” he turned the page.

“Do you miss home?”

The steely-eyed cadet put down his periodical. He saw the anguish in his eyes and internally, he felt the same way. He was going to comfort him but what came out of his mouth was “Why?”

“I don’t know, it’s just….” he sighed after taking a deep breath. “I didn’t think I would miss home this much. The caves, the deserts, Xochitil. Now that the Nameless are back, I’m afraid I’ll never see them again.” A tear slid down his cheek. 

“Y’know, we’re gonna have a crew simulator at the end of the year.” 

Hinata perked up and quickly wiped away the stray tear. “What?” 

“Crew sim. They’re gonna grab four of us, stuff us in a cube, and see how we act as a team,” Kageyama tried to avoid his gaze. “Isn’t that what you want? You, me, the asshole and the freckled angel all together as a team?”

The Sun cadet was shocked to know that Kageyama took him seriously. “But I thought you guys didn’t wanna be a team!”

“Hey, with a little persuasion, I think it’ll work out,” he gave a small smile. Of course,  _ persuasion _ meant that he was gonna annoy the ever living hell out of Tsukishima. 

The cadet returned the gesture, “Thanks Kags.” Afterward, he tucked himself under the flimsy blankets and fell asleep.

_ You’re welcome _ , Kageyama thought to himself.

*

Tsukishima couldn’t sleep that night. He’d become so restless ever since the teacher mentioned the Nameless to the class. They occupied his innermost thoughts, and when he closed his eyes all he could see was their slimy, grotesque face. 

So here he was, staring at his tablet at 1am. The light from it illuminated the room and kept Yamaguchi awake.

“Tsukki,” he yawned, “turn that off and go to sleep. You’re gonna be tired tomorrow.” Hands folded, he said in response, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Yamaguchi sighed and covered his head with his pillow.

Watching the security footage from last night, his eyes followed every tiny movement. He heard even the quietest of sounds as he watched the scene unfold. Then something caught his eye.

A vessel. Camera Charlie. Time 0321 hours.

He rewinded the video, but only for a few seconds. He paused when he saw the vessel again.

A cluster. A black-violet cluster.

Tsukishima’s heart skipped a beat. That was it! That was the ship that took them! Our favorite salty cadet was overjoyed, but the euphoria was short-lived.

This ship had a different insignia than the one that took them. This one had a beating heart, whereas the other had a beheaded bird.

Tsukishima scowled. Closer. He was growing closer.

And so the darkness grew.


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which the boys face their nightmares (and almost die).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here." — Arthur C. Clarke

The months passed by with a blink of an eye. Holidays came and went, along with the excitement that they brought. There were a few more Nameless attacks, but now students were too concerned with their own studies to be scared by them. Of course, that’s what they were trying to convince themselves.

The majestic canyons that harbored EMSA grew hotter by the day. Summer was approaching. For the third years, it meant that Sendoff Day was imminent. For Hinata, it meant that his birthday was around the corner. For everyone else, it meant that summer vacation was coming.

“We’re not gonna have a summer vacation.”

Hinata and Kageyama shot up with disbelief. “WHAT?!”

“Yeah, didn’t you hear? We’re gonna be shipped off to The  _ Knot _ . They’re gonna make us help out some of the soldiers there,” Tsukishima rested his head on the table. 

“Augh! This sucks!”

“Chin up, you guys. We’ll get to see space!” Yamaguchi tried to cheer them up. “Not before the Nameless skin us alive and eat up our guts,” Hinata sulked. 

“The Nameless don’t eat you. They bite you and make you suffer as you slowly transition into a mindless beast, forever forgetting who you are and where you came from,” retorted Tsukishima. 

“You must be fun at parties,” Kageyama sulked. Yamaguchi snorted.

“Anyways, the crew sim is gonna happen later today. So who’ll swallow their pride and join us?” Kageyama asked his fellow cadets. He already knew Hinata was on board, so it was only a matter of convincing the other two to join. 

“Well I’m in,” Yamaguchi looked over to his blond comrade. “What about you?”

“I’d rather die than be stuck in a box with two dimwits.” Silence. “Not you, Yamaguchi; you’re a godsend.”

Both Hinata and Kageyama shot daggers at him. “Y’know, we could really use a tech expert,” the supposed freckled angel said, almost flirting. 

Hinata spat out his drink. “You’re studying to be a tech guy?!” Out of the nine months that they’d known Tsukishima, neither Hinata or Kageyama bothered to ask their “friend” what he was studying to be. 

“Yeah, now are we going or not?” He stood up, trying his hardest not to show that he was blushing. They blinked at him. 

“The first years are being tested...first. Now get up! We’re going to be late.”

*

Nearing the simulation room, a teacher stopped the four of them. Clipboard in hand, he asked, “Is this your crew?” They all looked at each other before Hinata said, “Yea, this is us.” A droid scanned their shoulders before they could enter. Afterward, they all entered a waiting room of sorts.

All kinds of first years gathered around, talking to each other. Most were insignificant conversations about what they wanted to do this upcoming summer. Others were fearfully speaking of the Nameless and praying to deities that they won’t come for them.

The four stared at a grey wall with a black opening and a glowing blue light coming from the inside: the simulation room. Hinata was so excited he could burst!

“Uh, you guys? I think Hinata’s constipated. Or dying,” Yamaguchi pointed to the starry-eyed student. Tsukishima chortled as Kageyama tried to bring him down to earth.

Entering the room was a teacher. No one bothered to learn his name, but they all called him The Butcher. The first years didn’t know why, but the third years explained that he was notorious for butchering student’s grades.

“Settle down, now,” spoke The Butcher. He didn’t seem that intimidating in person, surprisingly. He was more sleep deprived than anything.

“I know you’re all excited to go in there and pretend you’re a team, but this is serious. In that room, you are presented challenges that you may face out in space. 

“Each team will consist of 3 to 5 members. Communication with one another is of most significance. I don’t want to see anyone lone-wolfing it. If I do, you get a automatic 0. If I hear one of you talking about the obstacles to an opposing team, you get a 0. If I find out you messed with the sim to make said obstacle fall in your favor, you-”

“Let me guess, we get a 0?” Tsukishima cut him off, giving him a shit-eating grin. The Butcher stared at him with eyes full of irritation. “That’s correct.”

“Team Alpha, you’re up,” he pointed his thumb to the simulation room. Four young cadets got up and headed inside. 

Several minutes passed, and all the cadets waiting wallowed in their worry. From the Sim Room, you could hear screams of frustration, imprecations, and your occasional laughing fit. After Team Delta stormed out of the room, The Butcher looked down at his clipboard and said, “Team Omega, you’re up.”

As they were going to enter, The Butcher grabbed Hinata by the arm and said in a deadpan tone, “Do well. The General has his eye on you.” The young cadet wasn’t sure if this was supposed to motivate him, but either way his nerves began to kick in.

“Hinata, hurry up so we can get this over with!” Kageyama yelled after him. Brought down to earth, he walked inside. 

The interior of the Sim Room looked almost exactly like the  _ Minoa _ , but with a darker color scheme. Above the main controls was a jet black screen. Behind them were two seated areas with their own pair of controls. Off to the side was a smaller screen and two joysticks with buttons on top: the weapons cockpit.

“What did he tell you?” Yamaguchi asked as Hinata took to the controls. “Nothing. Let’s do this!” He chirped as he turned on the controls. Once they did, the screen above them brightened. 

Taking hold of the two joysticks he said in a commanding tone, “Get to positions.” Once his comrades were in their respective places, the cadet added, “Prepare jump to hyperspace.” 

“Preparing,” Tsukishima responded, activating it. Within seconds, the screen lit up with images of an intergalactic battle, complete with Nameless’ clusters and other destroyed ships.The entire crew was mesmerized by the sight, except for one.

“Evade fire!” Kageyama screeched when a Nameless ship fired at them. The Sim Room began to shake as the crew was thrown around like rag dolls. “Hinata move it!”

But it was too late. They fired at the wing until it a part of it chipped and fell off into the empty void of space.

“Crap,” he responded weakly as he took the joysticks and moved the ship out of the cluster’s line of fire. His hands began to sweat excessively while he dodged enemy fire. “Did you guys run diagnostics yet?”

“Everything’s fine computer wise, but the ship has sustained some damage,” Tsukishima furiously typed away on a tablet. “The teleporter is broken, so we can’t escape if we tried,” Yamaguchi worked near a small area that sort of looked like a ventilation system. 

“Damn it!” Hinata hissed as the Sim Room shook violently once again. Alarms went off as clusters flew above them.

“I’m getting tired of this. Kags open fire!” He obeyed but said nothing. The Nameless’ ships exploded into flames when the ammunition hit them. Many of them were taken down, but a few (including the mother ship) remained. 

From said mother ship poured out thousands of small drones. Targeting them, the drones shot a barrage of lasers that began to destroy the ship’s hull.

“Finally. Now we’re gonna have some fun,” Tsukishima typed away at his tablet, which caught Hinata’s attention. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m hacking into the drones so I can use ‘em against the enemy. Why?”

“What? Are you crazy? Don’t do that! They can trace your source code!”

“Impossible. The source code I chose mimics the ones they have on their servers.”

Kageyama was about to fire at one of the clusters when suddenly the whole room went dark. The only source of light was the screen, which still showed scenes of the battle. “Shit,” Tsukishima cursed to himself, but made it loud enough so everyone could hear. 

Grabbing the controls until his knuckles went white, Hinata yelled, “Told you so!” In response, Tsukishima let out a slew of profanities in Martian.

“Hey Kags! Do you have any of those plasma bombs?” their captain asked. “I have some, but it won’t be enough to take down the clusters,” he said back.

“Whaddya mean? Of course it will be enough! The plasma will eat away at their hull!”

“No it won’t! That only works on smaller ships, not fucking clusters!”

“I’m the captain! I’m the one who make orders around here, and I order you to use the plasma bomb!”

“But it won’t- screw this!” Kageyama muttered to himself as he took control of the cannon. Now he finally knows what it’s like to be bossed around by his peers. He cursed silently to himself, regretting his childish actions of last year.

Watching this at the corner of his eye Yamaguchi tried to stop him. “Kageyama don’t-” 

Firing, the plasma bomb ricocheted off of the cluster’s hull and went back to their ship. It jolted with such force that all of the crew members obtained injuries. 

“I told you not to do that!” Yamaguchi scowled at him, “The clusters’ hulls are made of a thick metal. It’s going to take more than plasma to bring them down.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Then why did you-” Clearly frustrated, Yamaguchi went back to the ventilation area and looked inside, sparks flying. “There’s a gas leak inside the engine.”

When he said this, the cogs began to turn in Hinata’s mind. “I know how to end this.” Taking the controls, he increased the ship’s speed and headed for what looked like the Nameless’ mother ship. “Hinata, what are you doing?”

“You said that it takes more than plasma to bring down the clusters, right? With the gas leaking from the engine and the force I’m about to apply, it’ll be enough to knock them out!”

“But Hinata, you’ll destroy our ship! And kill us!”

“The General is watching my every move! I have to make this right!” Hinata screamed, fear and anger evident in his tone. “Besides, it’s other people’s lives before our own.”

Taking the controls, he pointed them straight towards the mother ship. Hands trembling, they began to glow white with heat. In a blink of an eye, the ship hit the mother cluster with a big explosion. The Butcher shut off the simulation and stormed into the Sim Room.

“Outside. All of you.  _ Now _ .”

The four sauntered out of the room and stood in formation. Tsukishima pushed up his glasses, all of them caked in sweat and decorated with bruises. The Butcher paced around them and stared with malice. “What the hell was that?”

“Sir I-”

“Quiet!” he snapped, which made Hinata shut up quickly. “I asked you to work as team, but what I saw there was far from one. The actions all of you made were beyond reckless. In fact, they were rather idiotic. How will you survive when you’re in an actual battle?” Those words sunk deep into all of the cadets.

“And you!” He pointed to Hinata, who shivered when The Butcher pointed at him. “I’m supremely disappointed in you. General Ukai was going to take you in as an apprentice, but from what I hear he’s having second thoughts. 

“You all get zeroes. Final grade. Now get out of my sight!” He screeched at the top of his lungs as the fearsome four walked away as fast as they can. Their fellow cadets snickered behind their backs.

Out of the Sim Room and into the corridor, Kageyama slammed Hinata into the wall. He landed with a loud  _ THUD. _ “I told you the plasma bombs won't work!”

“Guys please don’t-” Yamaguchi tried to butt in, but Hinata cut him off, “It would've worked if you just listened to me-”

“ _ Me _ ? Listen to  _ you?  _ You weren't listening to me! All you cared about was looking good for General Ukai so you can become his golden boy and kiss his ass!”

“Not true!”

“Oh this is getting good,” Tsukishima smirked devilishly. Yamaguchi stared at him with disapproval, “Aren’t you gonna stop them?”

“Nope,” smiled the blond cadet.

“I shouldn’t have taken your advice. We will never work as a team, especially with you at the helm.” Kageyama let go and stormed off. Hurt by his words, Hinata yelled, “So the King of the Controls lives up to his name!”

Kageyama stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”

“You heard me! Everyone knows how incompatible you are! No wonder we failed!”

Those cruel sentences cut through him like a knife. Voice wavering, he said, “That’s not true. It's your fault.” 

“No it’s not! None of this would've happened if you just-” Within seconds, Kageyama’s fist slammed into Hinata’s gut. Both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi backed away.

Smirking, Hinata spat out phlegm and raised his fists. “So this is how it’s gonna be? Fine by me.”

In an instant, the both of them lunged at each other. Fists flew in every direction. Blood began to seep out of freshly clawed skin. The two screamed out in pain and anger as other cadets stood by, watching and laughing.

Pinning him down, Kageyama drove Hinata’s own arm into his back. “Stop acting like a brat and just own up to your mistake!” “That's enough!” Yamaguchi pulled the two of them apart. 

“Apologize to him later. You need to go to the Nurse's office,” he grabbed Hinata’s arm; who pushed it off. Yamaguchi grabbed on tighter as Tsukishima held back Kageyama. “Do we really have to?”

“Yes, Tsukki! Now go!” Yamaguchi ordered him. Sighing, he did as he was told and the both of them parted without another word.

*

“Did you hear about what happened in the Sim Room?”

Daichi perked up from looking at his phone. “No I didn’t. Why?”

“Some kids were fist fighting outside. They should learn not to take the simulation test so seriously,” Sugawara sat next to him in the cockpit. “No one ever gets a zero.” Both said nothing for awhile, embracing the slight awkwardness between them.

Speaking in unison, they said, “I…” This was followed by at least ten seconds of tense blabber. 

“No go ahead. You were saying?”

“Uh… well… Sendoff Day is tomorrow,” Daichi proceeded, feeling uncomfortable.

“Right, I forgot,” Sugawara looked down to the metallic ground, disappointed that he had to leave his comrades so soon.

“It won’t be that bad. At least you get to help out you dad.”

“Yes, but the Royal Aviation League is so boring. You don’t get to go to different planets and such. Trust me, Dai, you would hate it.”

“But the Jupiterian ads made it sound like fun!”

“That’s false advertising for you.”

The two of them let out a soft chuckle, then looked out at the windshield. There wasn’t much to see; just a few suspended aircraft. At the top of the hangar was a window, which let in a little moonlight. All you could see from their point of view was the full moon and a cloud or two.

Before Daichi could even think, he blurted out, “I’m gonna miss you.” Internally, he was muttering curses to himself.

Sugawara gazed back at him with wide eyes, which softened when he responded, “Yeah, I’ll miss you too.”

And the darkness grew.

*

20:30 MST

Hinata opened the door, staring at his colleague with hateful eyes. The boy’s arm was covered in bandages, along with a bandaid on his chin. Kageyama noticed his entrance, but continued to look up at the ceiling. Bandage-wise, he looked the same.

Saying nothing, he fell onto his bed and crossed his arms. They were both patiently waiting for the other to say something, but neither of them wanted to be the first to speak. Finally, our favorite Sun boy cracked under the pressure and said, “I’m sorry. For everything.”

“Thank you.”

“Your wel… hey! Shouldn’t you apologize too?”

“Why do I gotta say sorry? I didn’t do anything!” Kageyama huffed. Hinata gave him a look that reeked of dissatisfaction.

“Fine! I’m sorry for punching you in the gut. And saying all those things.”

“You’re forgiven.”

The ice between the two melted and so did their stiff composure. “Were you actually hurt?”

“Nah. Your punches suck. Also I’ve been through worse,” Hinata teased him. A part of our favorite mystery boy wanted to tease back, but he was far more concerned about the fact that his roommate obtained worse wounds than the ones recently given to him.

“Hey.”

The orange-haired boy turned over to his side. “Wha?”

“Y’know, besides the fact that we failed miserably and ended up fighting, I think you’d be a great captain.”

He began to blush at the thought of Kageyama’s approval. “Aww, Kags, I love you too.”

“Oh shut up. Next time don’t do anything that risks all of our lives. Capisce?”

“I hear you Grandma,” Hinata brushed him off. Kageyama turned to his back and let the silence slip in. After a whole day of punching and making up, the both of them were exhausted.

Then there was a sound.

It was loud. Loud enough to be heard across the whole campus. Both Hinata and Kageyama got up and raced to their only window. They saw a ship engulfed in flames and heading towards the sandy ground. However, it was no ordinary ship.

Alarms went off throughout the building, sending all of it’s inhabitants into a panic. “What’s going on?” Hinata shouted.

“Dunno, but we have to get out of here!” Kageyama headed for the door. The other cadet stood back for a few seconds in an attempt to gather his belongings until his roommate pulled him by the arm. They left their dorm room in a flourish.

“No wait! I have to go back!” Hinata tried to release himself from the cadet’s grip but to no avail. “Are you crazy? We have to go-” Kageyama wanted to finish his statement, but was cut off buy a tremor of sorts. Wasting no time, the two of them ran to the entrance, where everyone was gathered.

Cadets stood together; most of them were confused. Some were dressed in their uniform, others already in their pajamas. They huddled together like helpless sheep, awaiting their death.

“No! No! No! This can't be happening! I don't want to die!” rambled an eccentric cadet. Kageyama shook him and said, “Calm down! What do you mean?”

“The Nameless! They’re attacking!”


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which they all have to run for their lives.
> 
> (a/n: sorry guys I updated so late! the next few weeks may be a bit busy so expect infrequent posting. also thank you guys so much for the kudos, bookmarks, and overall positive feedback! it means a lot *internet hugs for all of you*)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You're in charge but don't touch the controls." — Shannon Lucid

20:33 MST

“The Nameless! They’re attacking!”

That horrific string of words made an impact on all who heard it. Fear coursed through the veins of every EMSA student. Kageyama and Hinata themselves were shocked. Blaring in their ears was another alarm:  _ Attention all students: the premises is under attack. Evacuate immediately.  _

The two glanced at each other, as if they were telepathically communicating.  _ The hangar. _

“Can you run?” asked the black-haired cadet.

“Like hell I can!”

Before anyone else did, the two dashed towards the hangar. A parade of cadets followed them as the ground beneath them seemed to disappear with their speed.

Back at the  _ S.S. Little Crow _ , the faint sound of the alarms could be heard. Sugawara stood up, saying, “Do you hear that?” Daichi nodded in response, and ran out of the cockpit and into a lounge room.

“Asahi? Asahi wake up! We gotta go! Now!” Daichi hissed. Yawning, he rubbed his eye with his palm; his hair uncontrollably disheveled. “Jesus, Sawamura. Do you do this all the time when someone’s asleep?”

Waking up, Asahi listened to the alarm. “Shit!”

The  _ S.S. Little Crow  _ was one of the first planes to leave. Cadets watched helplessly as their options for escape dwindled by the second. Chaos erupted moments later as students rushed to get into a plane and leave.

“Pick up the pace! We have to get a ship before we’re stranded here!” Kageyama shouted. “You think I don’t know that?” Hinata yelled back mere seconds before slamming into a spaceship’s hull.

“Dumbass! Watch where you’re-” The two of them gazed upward and recognized the plane right off the bat. The  _ Minoa _ .

“What’re ya staring at? Get in!” Hinata smacked the boy’s shoulder. With haste, the two entered the ship through its chrome-colored doorway. Climbing up a ladder they walked through the corridor and into the main cockpit. Hinata turned on the ship and grabbed the controls. “Go to the weapons cockpit and use… something other than plasma bombs.”

“Like photon missiles?” squeaked a voice.

“Yeah! Like…” Trailing off, the cadets looked at each other suspiciously. Kageyama opened a container that had the words  _ for emergency use only _ in a bright red color. Inside were two blasters which were divided equally among the boys. They activated with a whirring sound.

Inching out of the cockpit, the two covered each other as they scanned the corridor. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. 

Except for the sound of footsteps that weren’t their own. 

Brewing with anxiety, both Kageyama and Hinata fired at Yamaguchi. Thankfully, they were both terrible shots.

“What the hell you guys! It’s just me!” he threw his arms up to show that he was innocent. As the tension eased, Kageyama ran his fingers through his hair, “Geez, Yams, you scared us.”

“Yeah man! We thought you were a monster or somethin,” Hinata chimed in as a tall figure loomed behind him.

“Boo.”

“AAAH!” Hinata jumped up and shot at the ground. Looking up, he realized it was Tsukishima being an asshole. “I didn’t think you would actually be frightened by that. But then again, it is  _ you _ we’re talking about here.”

“Hardee har har, now whaddya doin here?” the Sun cadet put his hands to his hips.

“Same as you,” Tsukishima pressed a button or two and the  _ Minoa _ hummed as it levitated, “Evacuating.”

“I’ll take that,” Hinata grabbed the controls with hostility and pushed them upward. The  _ Minoa  _ obeyed, flying out of the hangar and into the atmosphere.

“I don’t feel safe with him at the controls.”

“Why? Is is because Hinata lead us to our deaths the last time?”

“I can hear you!” their pilot shouted.

“Well, yeah, but because of something else.” Tsukishima focused on the windshield, which displayed a sky growing darker by the second. “What do you mean?” Kageyama cocked his head.

The blond cadet turned over to the pilot. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Tell me what?” the bewildered peer began to grow irritated. Sighing, Tsukishima pushed up his glasses and continued, “This ship is made out of chromium alloy. It’ll burn quickly under his hand.” 

“Oh.”

“Relax you guys, I’m not gonna burn up the ship!” Hinata tried to reassure them but collided with another plane. “...that was an accident.”

Exiting the atmosphere, they were met with a horrific sight. Clusters and EMSA planes were firing at one another, all while flying at the speed of light. Their hulls were scratched up badly; some were even on fire! The most grisly spectacle, though, were the downed ships. In their eyes, they looked like twisted metal rather than fighter spaceships. The bodies floating around them made it more distasteful.

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” Yamaguchi dared to utter as the rest quietly took in the view. They weren’t alone; the rest of the cadets’ ships were watching the battle unfold just like our brave protagonists were. 

Then came in the transmission.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is Sawamura Daichi of the  _ S.S. Little Crow _ . I’ve been instructed by the directors to take you to an EMSA base in Kerang, Neptune. Whatever you do, stay as close to each other as you can. The portal has a tendency of throwing people off.”   


“Portal? What portal?” Hinata looked around. As if it were on cue, an out-of-control cluster slammed into the  _ Minoa _ and threw it off course. The pilots of the other ships began to panic as the portal arose. Wasting no time, the ships flew through it as the  _ Minoa  _ raced towards it.

“C’mon, damn you! We gotta go in before it closes!” cursed a flustered Hinata. Unaware of the portal closing, Yamaguchi warned, “Hinata look out!”

It was too late.

The  _ Minoa _ violently ricocheted off the closing portal, throwing everyone on board to the side. It made its way towards a familiar red planet. Spinning vigorously, the hull burned up, entering the atmosphere. Once inside the planet Hinata got up from the floor and tried taking control of the plane. 

“Hinata,” Kageyama tried to focus, “watch out! Move it to the left!”

“What?” With such force the ship crashed into a tower of rock, cracking the windshield. Tsukishima growled, “He said left you idiot!”

“Shut up! I’m trying to drive!” Making his way past the boulders and flying through the canyons, Hinata found a small cavern. A perfect place to park this hunk of machinery. “Everybody hold on! It’s gonna get bumpy!” 

His comrades bracing for impact, he drove the  _ Minoa _ into the cavern. Rocks flew in every direction as it fell onto the ground and slid. The cadets screeched out of fear, for it was heading towards a lake. Miraculously, the ship stopped moving as it approached the body of water, but not before rising and slamming onto the craggy floor. 

The cadets breathed heavily, beads of sweat decorated their foreheads like crowns. Turned towards them and leaning on the controls, Hinata let out a sigh of relief. “We’re safe. I think.”

Then he slipped on the control board and fell.

“Hinata!”

The windshield gave way as his body hit through it. Shards of glass made their descent into the lake; one of them piercing Hinata’s head. With a sickening  _ SMACK _ , the pilot’s limp, unconscious body drowned in the turquoise waters. 

The three cadets stared in shock. “Well, it could be worse,” Tsukishima added.

The turquoise colors slowly turned a furious red. 

“I’m going after him,” Kageyama backed away to get a running start. “No wait don’t-” Before Yamaguchi could finish, the cadet jumped out of the ship and dove into the cool lake. Nearly choking on the coppery taste of blood, he pulled Hinata out of the water. Gasping for air, he threw himself onto the ground. 

The other two cadets raced out of the  _ Minoa _ and towards their classmates. “How is he?”

Kageyama began to shake Hinata, saying, “Hinata? Hinata wake up!” He didn’t reply.

Their hearts were in their throats as Tsukishima turned him over and lifted up his hair. A tiny shard of glass protruded from his head, blood gushing out of the wound. “Curses,” he uttered under his breath. Kageyama was about to pull out the piece when Yamaguchi stopped him. “Don’t! He’ll bleed out.”

“How far away are we from the city?”

Looking at a miniscule device, Tsukishima answered, “About 2 miles away from Univor.” 

Turning to the once tyrant cadet, Yamaguchi said, “Listen to me carefully. Take one of the escape pods and head over to Univor. Once you’re there, ask for Madame Thames. She’ll know what to do. Now hurry!”

Obeying, he picked up Hinata and raced over to the  _ Minoa _ . Within seconds, an escape pod flew out off the  _ Minoa _ ’s backside. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, the two stared at the caravan. There wasn’t much to see; just pebbles cascading down into the turquoise lake, making ripples. The sun poured in from the cracks, giving the weary children a bit of light.

Looking at their beloved, destroyed ship, the blond cadet asked, “Do you think that thing’s still flyable?” His freckled friend shrugged, replying, “I think so. It doesn’t seem  _ that _ bad.” As if it were on cue, one of the wings fell down, a thunderous noise following it. 

Yamaguchi could barely muster a laugh as Tsukishima shook his head and muttered sarcastically to himself, “Welcome home, Kei.”

*

Heading towards Univor, the escape pod zoomed by using all its’ speed. The canyons were the only witnesses to Kageyama’s impetuous flying. He dared to glance at Hinata, who was strapped up tight and not making a sound. Blood stained the back of the seat. 

Swallowing the lump in his throat he thought,  _ You better not die, otherwise I’ll kill your dead body. _

On the horizon was Univor, which didn’t seem like much. The highest building was a water tower; the rest were small apartments. The people looked like little dots, the market at the center looked like smudges of watercolor.

Euphoria rising, Kageyama attempted to park the escape pod. Of course, it crashed into the ground. 

With haste, he got out of the vehicle while holding onto Hinata bridal style. Racing to the center of the city, he began to screech on the top of his lungs, “Is there a Madame Thames around here? I’m looking for her!” Many of the citizens paid him no mind, but some looked at him as if he were insane. 

“Excuse me, do you know a Madame Thames?” Kageyama asked frantically. “Please! My friend is dying and she’s the only one who can help-” “Hey kid! Stop screaming.”

He turned his attention over to a tall woman who wore a faded tunic and had an unruly afro. “I am Madame Thames. What seems to be the trouble?”

“It’s my friend, he-” She took a peek at the wound from below, which made Kageyama shut up. Madame Thames touched the glass shard gingerly, clicking her tongue in the process. “Follow me.”

With a blink of an eye, Kageyama was whisked away from the square and brought into an apartment. 

It’s walls were a depressing brown but were decorated with lively pictures, full of color. The air smelled of spices. There was a comfy leather couch and a table with two chairs not far from the kitchen. Quite frankly, it was a pathetic excuse for a dining room. There were also two bedrooms; one of them appeared to belong to a child.

Laying the unconscious Hinata onto a massage chair face down, Madame Thames slicked back his hair and grabbed a set of tools. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Kageyama grew antsy. How couldn’t he be? He was entrusting his friend’s life to a stranger. 

“I have a PhD, sweetheart. I know damn well what I’m doing,” Madame Thames answered him rudely, despite that not being her intention. As carefully as possible, she removed the shard and set it aside. Realizing that it had pierced a vein, she cursed to herself.

“What’s wrong?” the cadet trembled.

“A vessel inside your friend’s head is damaged,” she said in a low tone. Watching her with wide eyes, he saw Madame Thames trying to stop the internal bleeding. He gagged.

After a long, risky procedure, she stitched up his wound and put her hand close to his mouth. His breath tickled her palm as she let out a sigh, chuckling afterwards. Putting away her tools, she told the anxious Kageyama, “He’s alive. Let him rest.”

He slicked back his hair, awkwardly saying, “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Now what is an EMSA student like you doing in Mars?” Madame Thames put her hands to her hips, waiting for an answer.

“We were attacked. By the-”

“Nameless,” she finished. “Had a feeling. I know a lot of good people who lost their families to those scum.”

The distant roars of the  _ Minoa _ cut the conversation short. “There goes one of them.”

Kageyama was instantly confused. Who on Earth- er, Mars, was she talking about?

He followed her out of a fire escape and was soon met with the image of the  _ Minoa _ hovering in the distance. The damage done to the ship was severe, and once it landed it made a sickening crash sound. 

The door popped open with a  _ hiss _ and fell to the floor as Madame Thames ran over to Yamaguchi. “Tadashi! I’m so glad you’re alive!” She looked at him from top to bottom, like how an aunt would look at her niece or nephew. “You’ve grown since I’ve last seen you.”

Reluctantly getting out of the ship, Tsukishima was soon put into a headlock. “I missed you, too, Kei!” “Stop!” He struggled to breathe, “You’re choking me!”

Kageyama watched all of this with wide eyes. “How do you know them?”

“I found Tadashi wandering around the desert alone; I practically raised him. And as for Kei, he usually stopped over by my house to hang out with ‘im.” Madame Thames turned her attention to the damaged spaceship. “So this is the mighty  _ Minoa _ . Not a surprise that you guys fucked it up. Kei’s a shit pilot.” 

“I didn’t even pilot it!” Tsukishima argued. 

“Oh really? Then who flew it?” The three cadets gave an uncomfortable gaze, Kageyama pointing back to the apartment building. Madame Thames’ teasing face fell, “Oh dear Aeo I am so sorry.”

Looking back at the ship, she walked towards it and assessed the damage. “Both the hull and the doorway are damaged. The windshield is shattered. One of your engines also took a heavy hit, and…” she looked around, “where’s the other wing?”

Yamaguchi pointed to the back, and she saw the wing tied up to the back of the ship haphazardly with a weak rope. Focusing her attention on the three idiots, Madame Thames said, “Thank god you boys came over to me, or you would’ve been good as dead.”

She gave them a smile, “Now who wants to eat?”

*

 

The ground was dancing. It was swirling like a sea during a storm.

Hinata rubbed his eyes, curiosity setting in. Where was he?

He lifted up his head, still a little sore from the procedure, and looked around. This place looked far from familiar. He took in the scents. Crispy lizard tails. Mist soup. Incense?

“Well look who’s back from the dead,” Tsukishima chirped as Hinata turned to his direction. “How long have I been out?”

“For only a few hours, thank goodness. I’m Madame Thames. Shish kebab?” she offered him the fried green tails on a stick. He took one reluctantly. The four proceeded to eat in silence until Madame Thames broke the ice, “So… Hinata right? What made you choose EMSA?”

“I always liked EMSA. I’ve dreamed about going there ever since I was little,” Hinata chewed on the tails.

“I see. Well, I have to thank both you and Kageyama for keeping Kei and Tadashi in check.”

“Excuse me? It was the other way around! We had to stop them from killing each other!” Tsukishima protested as Madame Thames snorted. Yamaguchi rolled his eyes at her and changed the subject. “So, Madame, when will the plane be ready?”

Slurping her soup, she answered, “I already fixed all the small stuff and some internal damage. All that’s left is the wing. Don’t worry though; I’ll have it fixed by tomorrow.” Concerned, Madame Thames stared at their uniforms, covered in grease, dirt, and blood.

“Do you guys mind if I give you new clothes?”

Soon after, Madame Thames brought them clean yet slightly old casual wear for them. Tsukishima wore a  _ Climax: Space Detective  _ shirt with worn pants and combat boots. Hinata wore an old Sun pilot’s uniform while Yamaguchi donned vintage Neptunese wear. Kageyama pulled out a guard’s suit from the trunk, made out of an eskrat’s shell. He gagged at the mere thought of an eskrat, but wore it anyway.

“Madame, where do you get all these clothes?” Hinata asked as Kageyama fixed his shoulder pad. 

“I just find them lying around; otherwise I take them from dead bodies.” Everyone except Yamaguchi exclaimed in disgust.

“Guys, relax! She’s kidding,” he turned to her with a desperate look on his face, “... right?” All she did was wink.

Checking the time, she yawned and began to rummage through her closet. “It's late; you need to rest. After all, you have been through a lot today.”

Madame Thames handed the three cadets some blankets. “You guys can crash anywhere, okay? I’ll have the plane ready for you by tomorrow.” She ruffled Yamaguchi’s hair, “Goodnight.”

Nighttime in Mars was definitely colder than during the day. Madame Thames was already used to it, but the cadets were freezing. Hinata shivered under his fluffy blanket, but eventually began to warm up like a mini sun. Drawn to the heat, the rest surrounded him and fell asleep.

That was the last time they felt safe.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which Tsukishima makes a stupid decision, part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "His most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o — erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire." — Hamlet, Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2, William Shakespeare

The first thing they smelled were pancakes. 

Hinata was the first to get up, eventually realizing that everyone else was piled on top of him. Slithering his way out of the mess, he walked over to the dining table and yawned. 

“Well g’mornin to you too, sleepyhead. Do me a favor and wake up the rest for me, wouldja?” Madame Thames asked in a quiet, almost motherly voice. He obeyed and said sleepily, “Guys, wake up.”

Tsukishima rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses. “What year is it?” Kageyama stretched his arms. “3031, you dumbass,” snapped the Martian. “Dumbass is my thing… dumbass.”

“Are they always like this?” Madame Thames crudely whispered to Hinata and the now awake Yamaguchi. “Yep,” they responded in unison.

Still slightly shocked, she shook her head and cut through their blatantly nasty conversation, “I made cinnamon pancakes!” They turned around and meandered their way to the dining table, where all of them sat. To a stranger, the five would have looked like a family. A really odd, sort of demented family.

Center stage were the pancakes; quite arguably the most coveted food in all of Univor. Our protagonists had no idea how lucky they were to have Madame Thames’ cooking.

“Go on, you guys! It’s not like you have to wait for a signal or somethin.”

Reluctantly, Hinata took one of the pancakes and put it on his plate. After drowning it in syrup, he took a small bite. Only then was he enlightened. 

The pancakes were light yet flavorful; not too sugary yet not too bland, with the right amount of cinnamon. The syrup made it even better. 

“You guys,” Hinata said as he impatiently stuffed another pancake into his mouth, “this is the best breakfast I’ve ever had.” The rest nodded in agreement, eating one after another.

Except Tsukishima.

He ate bits and pieces of it, but didn’t marvel at it’s flavor. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it. His mind was just preoccupied, thinking about the ship and the nightmare he had the night before.

Yamaguchi noticed this, as if he had a sixth sense. He nudged him and whispered, “Lemme guess, it was about  _ them _ again wasn’t it?” He ignored him and asked Madame Thames, “When will you be done preparing the  _ Minoa _ ?”

Cheeks full of chewed up pancake and baptized in syrup, she swallowed hesitantly and replied, “Real soon. I’m still trying to attach that damn wing.” Silence. “Why so antsy? Don’tcha wanna visit your house, or say hi to your aunt?”

“No. The last transmission we got was from a third year that wanted us to go to Neptune. They ought to be looking for us, so I wanna go back as soon as I can.”

Yamaguchi knew he was lying. Tsukishima was growing impatient and wanted to find them. Close. He was growing close.

“Suit yourself,” she said in a dismissive tone. Hinata and Kageyama exchanged a glance, trying to figure out what that was all about. 

“But before you leave,” the two looked back to her, “can you run a few errands?”

*

“What the hell is ‘seafeere soap’?”

“It’s soap made out of seafeere; a type of aquatic animal. Great for cleaning out stains,” Yamaguchi responded as he picked a fruit or two, then putting them back. “Not ripe enough.”

“What happened back there?”

He glanced at Hinata before replying, “What do you mean?”

“At Madame Thames’ place, Tsukishima looked pissed,” Hinata picked up the seafeere soap. It was light and left a sea green residue on his palm. Yamaguchi grew a bit defensive, but tried his best not to show it. “We all have our secrets, Shoyo.”

Hinata didn’t bother him anymore on the subject.

After a few minutes, the four reunited in the center of town. “I don’t get it. Why’d we buy all this stuff?” Kageyama shifted through the clear plastic bag and pulled out a dead scaly creature. The three cadets gagged when he did so.

“She just makin’ us do her chores,” Yamaguchi brushed him off. “She does it to everyone that visits. And where the fresh hell did you get that from?” With disgust Kageyama answered, “The shopkeeper gave it to me as a present.” 

Soon after he said his piece, the familiar roar of a ship rang in their ears. They looked up and saw a golden-gray hull pass over the town and land behind a bunch of apartments. The cadets realized what this meant: the  _ Minoa _ was repaired.

Overjoyed, they ran over to the lot as fast as they could, pushing each other in the process. Once they arrived, their shopping bags dropped to the floor as they coughed up dust. 

Madame Thames approached them with hands on her hips, “You guys okay?”

“Yeah, we’re-” Hinata stopped to cough up a small dust cloud, “we’re fine.”

“Great! I was just testin’ out the new wing I got ‘er. She purrs like a kitten, this one,” she placed her hand on the  _ Minoa _ gingerly. “I also filled her up with some supplies, since she was running low. You guys could leave now if you want.”

“Really?” everyone except Tsukishima chimed in unison. Madame Thames nodded. “Ya do want to go to Neptune, do you not?”

Hinata could barely hold in his excitement. “Finally! It’s been forever since I’ve flown the ship!” he screamed as he ran inside. “Get back here, dumbass, before you crash and hurt yourself again!” Kageyama ran after him. Tsukishima looked at Madame Thames and smirked. “Well somebody’s gotta look after them, right?”

As he left, she put both of her hands on Yamaguchi’s shoulders. “I know about the attack in Arizona. They’re growing stronger, Tadashi, and I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re all that I have, y’know.”

“I know, Mama. I’ll be careful. I promise,” he gave her a bit of a smile. Tears welling up, she threw him into an embrace. “I hope you find all your answers on Neptune.” “Me too,” Yamaguchi muttered. Giving him one last loving look, she let him go.

“Be safe, you dolts!” Madame Thames waved as the  _ Minoa  _ hovered, “Don’t get yourself injured, Hinata!”

“I won’t!” he yelled back. They all said their goodbyes and took off. The  _ Minoa _ screeched and left white streaks in its wake as Madame Thames watched the sky. 

“Whatever you do, don’t die.”

*

Exiting the Martian atmosphere, the four began to settle down. The ship smelled of bleach as Hinata loosened his grip on the controls. Surprisingly, there was no sign of the clusters or EMSA planes from before.

The four gazed out into space. The navy, almost jet black void gave them a sense of peace but also increased their paranoia. 

“It’s so… quiet,” Yamaguchi squeaked. Pressing a button or two, Hinata said, “Prepare for jump into hyperspace.” No one went against his call, but Tsukishima noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

A cluster. But this was no ordinary cluster. 

It had the insignia of a beheaded bird.

“Wait! Don’t do it!” he pushed Hinata’s hands off the control board. “Tsukishima what the hell?” “Yeah, what gives?” Chirped his comrades. Taking the controls, he enhanced the vision of the ship. It was the cluster he was so desperately looking for.

A dry yet elated laugh escaped from Tsukishima’s lips. He fixed the position of his glasses, “We need to follow that ship.”

“Are you serious? No way! We aren’t picking fights with the Nameless!”

“Weren’t you the one who was all excited about going to Neptune in the first place?” Kageyama crossed his arms. 

“We’ll go to Neptune later. Right now we need to follow that plane.” “But-” Before Hinata could contradict, Tsukishima already moved the joysticks forward, thus making the  _ Minoa _ fly in the cluster’s direction. A sense of uneasiness slowly began to suffocate them. 

“Kei, this isn’t a good idea. What if you don’t find them?” Yamaguchi put a hand on his shoulder and whispered to him in a comforting tone. “They have to be there,” Tsukishima whispered back, “they just have to.”

Both Kageyama and Hinata caught a wind of their conversation, but didn’t make it public. “Who’s  _ they _ ?” the black haired cadet asked. “Beats me. I tried to ask Yamaguchi, but he got all uptight about it,” the Sun boy responded.

As the  _ Minoa _ grew close to the cluster, it turned on an invisibility shield and increased it’s speed. You could barely hear it’s engines at this point. The cluster itself was a lot bigger up close than from afar. Silently yet quickly, the  _ Minoa _ went under the cluster and attached itself to it. The inside jolted a bit as it did so.

Secure on the bottom of the cluster, Tsukishima got out of the main cockpit and opened the door. He was met with the image of a landing pad, illuminated by bright lights. He peered through every nook and cranny, but there was no sign of the Nameless.

“The coast is clear,” Tsukishima whispered to Yamaguchi, who gave him a blaster. It came to life with a high pitched whine. Kageyama and Hinata were not far behind. 

“Right, genius, now what’s the plan?” Hinata hissed with malice as he scoped the area. “Yamaguchi and I are going to check out the cluster; you guys keep the engine running.”

“But what if the Nameless find us?” Kageyama mumbled.

“They won’t. Besides, we won’t be gone for long.” Tsukishima gave a knowing look to Yamaguchi as he left the plane. “Whatever you do, don’t get out of the ship,” he said and followed his friend.

When they left, Kageyama and Hinata gave each other a bewildered, fearful look. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which Tsukishima makes a stupid decision, part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Universe, so far as we can observe it, is a wonderful and immense engine; its extent, its order, its beauty, its cruelty, makes it alike impressive." — George Santayana

As the both of them got out of the Minoa, they slowly crept their way into the main corridor. To their surprise, there weren’t many Nameless patrolling the halls. However, when they approached a small conductor, there was one Nameless keeping watch.

Swallowing their fears, they slid into the crevice that held said conductor. Taking out a USB-like device, Tsukishima plugged it into one of its openings. A hologram lit up from above and pictures began to flash at lightning speed. Yamaguchi protected him from above, hands on the trigger.

“Are you finished yet?” His anxiety got the better of him. 

“Almost,” the Martian but his lip, hands trembling. Once the download was complete, he snatched the USB and pressed a small button. Another hologram appeared; this one showing the floor plans of the cluster.

“The prisoner’s quarters are east from where we are right now. If we follow this direction and go north, we’ll find them. I’m sure of it.”

For some reason, Yamaguchi felt like he wasn’t so sure.

“This route puts only three Nameless in our way-” “Kei,” he gently put his hand on top of Tsukishima’s, who lowered the USB. “What if… what if you don’t find what you’re looking for? Or what if you do find them and they don’t remember you?”

“I have to try,” he responded. “I won’t live with myself if I don’t.”

Before Yamaguchi could argue, he shot the nearby Nameless in the head. “Let’s go.”

*

“I’m thinking of a number from one to five-”

“It’s two.”

“What the hell? How do you know that?”

“You literally held up two fingers while you were thinking of a number! Who even does that?” Kageyama sighed as he slicked back his hair. He made a mental note never to guess numbers with Hinata again.

The duo sunk in their seats and took in the sights. There wasn’t much to see either way: just the bleak gray landing pad. The lights above them flickered as Hinata said, “Thank you. For saving my life back there.”

Kageyama’s heart was practically at his throat, recalling how desperate and afraid he was of his friend dying. “It’s nothing, really.” 

“Why do they call you the King of the Controls?”

Startled by this, he looked over to his sunshine-y comrade. “You mean my nickname? Well, back in my old school, I was kind of an ass. During sims, I would take it too seriously and boss ‘em around. My peers and my teachers used to get really upset, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t have anything to lose. I was a nobody from Eris who somehow ended up in Jupiter.”

“Eris? Like the dwarf planet Eris?” Hinata questioned him, suddenly very intrigued. “What was it like?”

“I can’t remember much, honestly. I just know that there was ice everywhere and every time I’d go outside I’d freeze my ass off.” The two of them began to laugh at the fading memory of a younger Kageyama’s plight.

“Do you miss it?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Bringing his knees to his chest, Hinata finally answered the question Kageyama asked him so long ago. “My mother taught me.”

“Taught you what?” Kageyama cocked his head in confusion.

“How to fly. My old school wasn’t as good as yours. We read from textbooks that were worn and tattered. Our training ship couldn’t even get off the ground. We didn’t even have a hangar!” He recalled the memories of Xochitil with bitter fondness. 

“But my mom… she taught me. We had an old plane in the back of our house. Used to be Dad’s before he died. Every night, she would take me in and show me the ropes.” He paused. “I did horrible the first time.”

Now it was Kageyama’s turn to laugh, thinking about a younger Hinata crashing his father’s prized ship into the hot, rocky ground that was the Sun. “I’m glad you find this funny,” Hinata called him out, but he was laughing too.

They both looked out into the landing pad. They were too happy to be afraid of the Nameless, or anything else for the matter. Both let the eerie quiet eat away at their hearts and minds.

All Kageyama had to do was look at his peer when it hit him. An unknown feeling. One that he’s heard before but never became acquainted with. It made him sick.

He glanced over to Hinata, but he was too busy staring at the gray abyss, consumed by his thoughts. For a fleeting second, he wished the two of them weren’t space cadets fighting for their lives. 

This moment, this very moment, was undeniably perfect. For Kageyama at least.

*

A shot rang out. It echoed in the empty, heartless walls of the dark-violet Nameless cruiser.

Speaking of which; one fell down. Dead. A black, disgusting thick liquid oozed out of the beast’s pale head. Most people called this blood.

Both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi put their hands to their noses; Yamaguchi gagging in the process. It’s rotting smell was enough to paralyze a small army. Luckily for the both of them, that was the last Nameless standing in their way.

Yamaguchi approached the door and realized, “Dammit! It’s locked.” Nearby the metal entryway was a hand scanner, waiting patiently to be used.

He looked over to Tsukishima, who was standing on top of the Nameless corpse. “Don’t look at me. I’m not touching it.”

The duo picked up the Nameless’ claw and place it on the scanner. Once it detected the paw print, the door slid open. What they saw horrified them.

Large cylinders (visible thanks to fluorescent lights), were the only things you could see for miles. Inside them contained… figures. Not quite human, yet not entirely alien. Some were dead, others banged against the impenetrable glass and screamed for help that won’t ever come to them. The two cadets felt shivers down their spine.

What they’d noticed off the bat was the fact that a good majority were disfigured. Most of these humanoid creatures had some feature that was Nameless, whether it was an eye or a limb or a torso. On each of these cylinders was a sticker, stating the patient’s name, where they came from, when they were picked up, and other medical information.

Raising their blasters, Tsukishima whispered to his friend, “Go to the left and see if you found them. I’ll go this way.” Yamaguchi nodded and they parted without another word.

Neither of them said it, but it was evident that they regretted their decision. Yamaguchi was a trembling mess, but still kept his guard up. He swallowed his fears like a child taking bitter medicine, blaster to his chest. This wasn’t so bad.

Then a humanoid slammed into the glass with all their might, eyes full of insanity. 

He started making sounds that didn’t quite seem like a language, but rather a crossroads between Nameless screeches and the Urani dialect. Yamaguchi wanted to screech, but his vocal chords failed him. 

Tsukishima didn’t fare any better. The sight of all this suffering made him want to vomit. It only grew worse as he found the body of a child no older than himself. She stared at the ceiling with eyes wide; blood trailing down her mouth. She lay unresponsive with the arm and leg of a Nameless.

Walking closer to the cylinder, Tsukishima read the sticker that bore the patient’s information. It only to seconds for Yamaguchi to shout, “Tsukki! I found something!” Remembering what he came here for, he ran over to the other cadet as fast as he could.

“What is it?” he approached his peer. Yamaguchi pointed to the cylinder, and right off the bat Tsukishima knew who the person inside was.

His brother.

He was a completely transformed Nameless, looking feverish and pale as paper. His claws were sharp and jet black, along with his teeth. They twitched as he slept with his eyes open.

The young teenager stopped in his tracks, pupils wide with shock and heart at his throat. This couldn’t be Akiteru. He looked nothing like him!

“W-Where’s my mother?” He asked with a shaky tone. 

“I couldn’t find her.”

The stillness between them could cut through anything. “Kei, I’m so sorry-”

“Akiteru! Akiteru, it’s me, Kei! I’ve come to take you home!” he banged on the glass. Tears began to form in his eyes, but they weren’t strong enough to fall down. The creature woke with a start and began to pace around his cage like a lion. He let out an ungodly screech, baring his ferocious fangs.

“Don’t you recognize me? I’m your younger brother!” He pointed to himself as he ranted. When words failed him, Tsukishima put his finger on the trigger and began to fire at the cylinder. It whistled as the blasts of energy escaped the chamber, but did not break the glass. While he did this, his monster of a brother backed away and grolwed. 

Realizing that his blaster wasn’t working, he threw it to the side and started to bang on the glass. Seconds after he begun, Yamaguchi said, “Stop this. It isn’t gonna work.” He didn’t listen.

“Kei? Kei! Stop you’re going to hurt your hand!” He pulled Tsukishima away from the cylinder. Only then did the monster’s hostility dissipate. A glimmer of humanity appeared in his savage, soulless eyes.

Tsukishima wiped his tears with his wrist and grabbed his blaster when he heard a distorted voice say, “Kei?” Hesitantly, his head shot up.

His brother was looking at him with desperation. Akiteru walked closer to his dear little brother, putting a paw on the glass. Yamaguchi let him go as Tsukishima approached it and gingerly put his hand on the glass.

He looked into his eyes, which were still a bit distant. Summoning the fleeting mortality he had, Akiteru muttered the word, “Brother.”

“That’s right, I am your brother. And I'm gonna get you out of here,” Tsukishima threw himself against the cylinder. He did it again when the beast said, “Run.”

The cadet’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

“RUN!” Akiteru roared as alarms went off inside the room. The lights turned off as the warning blared in their ears, growing ever louder. Yamaguchi grabbed Tsukishima’s arm and said, “We have to go!”

“No! Not without him!”

“We don’t have any time!” The sounds of claws scratching metal grew louder by the second. He looked back at his brother, completely overwhelmed with sadness.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi softened his grip and held onto his hand. Tsukishima took it and the two ran out of the room.

He didn’t look back.

Back in the corridor, the Nameless poured in from every corner. Fear pulsated through their veins as they reached for their blasters. It seemed as if they were surrounded; the Nameless inching closer to them by the second.

“How far are we from the hangar?”

“Only a few yards. Why?”

Taking out his blaster, he aimed at one of the Nameless. “Good, ‘cause we’re gonna run like hell.”

Once the firing began, the creatures pounced on them. Tsukishima shot one of them in the gut as they scrambled to get on their feet. Adrenaline finally kicking in, the two dashed to the hangar. Several of the Nameless followed them, trampling their own kind in order to get the maverick cadets that had seen too much.

“Where’d the hell did all of these guys come from?” Yamaguchi hissed as he fired at one of them. “Dunno. They were probably lying in wait,” answered his colleague. The freckled cadet uttered a curse.

As their energy began to decrease, the beasts caught up to them. One of them sank their thick talons into Yamaguchi’s thigh. He yelped in anguish and shot the Nameless point blank. 

“Are you okay?” Tsukishima leaned in to help him walk, but he dismissed him. “I’m fine. Tell Hinata to start up the plane. I’ll protect you.”

“What? No way you’re injured-” “Just shut up and go!” he snarled, the pain clearly talking. Following orders without another word, Tsukishima headed to the hangar. Leaning against the wall, Yamaguchi ripped a part of his shirt and wrapped it around his wound. He waited for the monsters with baited breath.

Finally entering, Tsukishima yelled, “Hinata! Kageyama! Start up the plane!” The hulking aircraft that was the  _ Minoa _ didn’t budge. 

Growing irritated, he began to throw objects at the hull. Inside, the two could hear the items ricocheting off the wall. 

“What is that?” Kageyama jumped to his feet. Saying nothing, Hinata looked out the window. “It’s Tsukishima, and he looks pissed!” Hurrying over to the controls, he activated the  _ Minoa _ and she began to hover. 

Realizing that they’d listened to him, a tiny smile bloomed across his face; but it was short lived. The Nameless swarmed into the hangar, the phantom whistle of Yamaguchi’s blaster growing faint. Urgently, he ran to the ship and jumped onto the hull. He climbed upward as the Nameless tried to claw him down. In an instant, a hand pulled him inside.

Tsukishima fell to the floor, cracking his glasses. “You broke my glasses!”

“You’re welcome!” Hinata shouted back as he turned the  _ Minoa _ with force. Shots of pure energy were released towards the Nameless, courtesy of Kageyama. 

“Where’s Yamaguchi? I thought he was with you!” Hinata asked him. “He’s in the corridor,” Tsukishima wiped his now ruined glasses, holding onto the wall so he won’t be thrown around.

“Say no more.” 

Smirking, the cadet’s beloved pilot increased their speed, breaking the cluster internally in the process. The surviving monsters tried to hound the  _ Minoa _ , but failed as some were burned to a crisp.

Kageyama flailed around in the weapons cockpit. “A little warning, next time?” Hinata ignored him.

As he flew down the corridor, he found Yamaguchi down on the floor and surrounded by those wretched creatures. “Kags!” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” he shouted and promptly fired at the creatures. They fell down one by one. The ship neared the wounded teen, who backed away and squinted his eyes.

Getting out of the ship, Tsukishima ran over to Yamaguchi and helped him walk inside. “Shit,” Hinata inspected the wound, “are you okay?”

“Yeah I’ll be fine. Now let's get the hell outta here!”

With all four passengers inside, the  _ Minoa _ jumped into hyperspace, severely damaging the cluster in the process. 

*

“Sir! Urgent news from one of our clusters! The  _ Beheaded Bird _ was severely damaged by a rogue EMSA ship!”

The general of this ship turned over to his private. His features were almost exactly alike the prisoners of the cluster, except he was not deformed. 

“An EMSA ship, huh? Who was onboard?”

“Unknown sir. However, there are rumors of Subject 6F70 infiltrating the premises, along with another figure believed to be related to one of the test subjects in Project Genesis,” the Nameless slipped and slided with his words, looking down on a holographic tablet.

The general smirked. “So that little troublemaker is back. Where are they heading?”

The tablet lit up with a visual of one of our favorite Gas Giants. “Kerang, Neptune. We have reports of an EMSA stronghold located there.” 

Hands gripped on the edge of the table, he spoke, “Set a course for Kerang. It’s about time I introduce myself to these hopeful youngins.”

Once the course was set, the stars flew past them with a blink of an eye. You could see the reflection of them in the humanoid general’s eyes.

He gave a gleeful, two mouthed smile.


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which the Nameless come to them.
> 
> (I should be doing my homework but ahahaahahahahahha what's responsibility idk her)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I had the ambition to not only go farther than man had gone before, but to go as far as it was possible to go."— Captain Cook

“We’re going too fast!”

Hinata could feel his eyes pop out of his sockets. The  _ Minoa _ was indeed reaching it’s speed limit. A blue speck could be seen in the distance, growing ever closer. The cadets felt only a smudge of relief.

“Slow down! Dammit, slow down!”

Summoning his inner strength, Hinata pulled down the lever that stopped the hyperspace jump. Once dead in the air, all of the teenagers fell forward. They collectively sighed.

Tsukishima coughed so hard phlegm shot out of his mouth. “Hinata, do you know what the word ‘slow’ means?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would go that fast,” Hinata tried to stand up with his wobbly legs. Kageyama helped Yamaguchi to his feet as they stared at the beauty that was Neptune. It stared back at them in disdain, knowing that it is too perfect to harbor such rebels like them. 

All the fragments and punctuations they were going to voice died in their throats like a withering seedling. When words fail actions take over.

The  _ Minoa _ entered the atmosphere. It roared at their arrival, as if the planet had disapproved. The wind pounded on the outside of the ship, which was eventually followed by rain. 

A beacon of hope could be seen beyond the dark, swirling sea. An island, made out of metal and faded paint and a similar logo.

EMSA. Earth Military Space Academy for Young Adults. 

The overwhelming feeling of solace washed over the space-weary teens. Hinata moved the joysticks forward as the ship approached a landing pad. It crashed onto it with such grace. Shocked cadets backed away as the door popped open and fell to the floor in a racket. 

“Hey guys! Didja miss us?” Hinata gave a goofy smile that Tsukishima and Kageyama had to fight the urge to smack off his face.

Pushing through the crowd was a very distressed Daichi, along with some other cadets. “Are you the  _ Minoa _ ’s crew?”

“Yeah, we are. We were on your tail but we bounced off the portal,” Kageyama wiped a bit of dust from his shoulders as Tsukishima helped Yamaguchi down.

“Thank the stars you’re here. We’ve been searching everywhere for you. Come inside; it’s wet out there.” Daichi motioned the cadets to follow him. They did whilst fatigued.

The walls of the fortress were a steel color, decorated with faded posters of EMSA cadets wearing fake smiles. In the center of the room were thousands of cots, makeshift homes for the surviving soldiers. Some played card games while others rested. The four watched those men and women in envy.

“Where’s everyone else?” Kageyama asked, sounding almost childish. “Either captured or floating in space.” Daichi looked over to Yamaguchi and widened his eyes in surprise, “Hell, are you okay?”

A cadet passing by was brought over by Daichi, who commanded, “Bring him to the Infirmary and make sure he’s tended to.” The cadet walked over to Yamaguchi, who reluctantly let go of Tsukishima. He limped away as the two gave each other desperate looks drenched in affection. 

“May I dare ask where you guys were?” Daichi crossed his arms as Tsukishima’s attention was now grabbed. “We was in a cluster because Tsukki told us to go in,” Hinata pointed to his peer with his thumb. “It’s  _ were _ . We  _ were _ in a cluster, and it was only for a second before we got out,” the blond frantically explained before the third year could scold them. “And don’t call me that.”

Daichi sighed, defeated. “Did anyone notice you?”

“No.”

“Good, because we cannot afford to go through another Nameless attack.” 

The air was thick with tension and it only got worse when Tsukishima inquired, “Are there any more EMSA stations besides this one?” He took two cots and held them with his spaghetti arms.

“There’s only one left. Ceres. Thousands of light years away. We’re waiting for orders to evacuate there, but so far we’ve heard nothing.”

“So we’re just gonna sit here and wait until the higher-ups say it’s okay to run for our lives?”

“I guess you say that,” Daichi said somberly.

Watching this all unfold from a distance was Oikawa and his gang, who were supposedly playing a game of cards. “What the hell is little Tobio doing here? I thought he died.”

“Love how you immediately think your junior is dead,” Iwazumi cleaned out his teeth with his pinky finger.

“He’s not my junior! The guy was supremely annoying! He’d always follow me around like some lost puppy!” Oikawa threw up his arms like a child. He looked down at his cards. “I got nothing.”

Hanamaki threw his cards in anger and defeat. “You suck at this, Tooru.”

Oikawa didn’t care, though. He was too busy staring at the first years, which only consisted of Kageyama and Hinata. The two seemed to be engaged in deep conversation.

“Look at them. First years these days, with their unrequited romance. They looked like closeted lovers.”

Oikawa and Iwaizumi glanced at each other uncomfortably.

*

“How’s your leg?”

“It’s fine, really. Still hurts a bit,” Yamaguchi winced as he lifted his leg. Despite the fact that the stitches helped seal up the wound, it made his thigh look raw with pain. “What about you guys? How are you holding up?”

“We’re gonna be leaving for Ceres soon, but I don’t know. Something’s not right.”

“What do you mean?”

“We need to intercept a message to go to Ceres. Doesn’t that sound a bit odd to you?” He asked as he sat next to his friend. The light bulbs flickered overhead constantly, which only added to their anxieties.

“Kinda does. What do you suspect? Nameless?” Yamaguchi questioned.

“Sounds a bit like it, although we can’t be too sure. EMSA is just as unpredictable as them,” Tsukishima let the silence hang over them. Yamaguchi knew what he was thinking about. It had occupied both of their thoughts ever since they left the cluster.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t save him.”

 

This comment struck Tsukishima like a bolt of lightning. He was suddenly aware that he failed; he failed to execute an action he’d been planning out since he was 11 years old. 

He felt a lump in his throat as tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. He failed, he failed, he failed...

 

Like a rainstorm, he let the tears fall in an ugly fashion. His sobs were the kind that echoed in your ears and appeared in your nightmares. Yamaguchi’s stomach twisted up into knots as he held Tsukishima. His fingers ran through the other’s hair, feeling coarse as sand.

None of them said a word.

*

The seas of Neptune churned as the darkness grew. 90% of the planet’s surface was covered in the dark, cold waters with the exception of a few man-made islands. The Nameless knew this as they approached it, still in formation.

The general let out a smoke-filled sigh. “Send the transmission.”

Back at the base, a message was sent from what the cadets thought were the higher-ups from EMSA. “Attention cadets…evacuate…Ceres...immediately. I...leave...now.” Naturally the cadets did not heed this warning, for they were fast asleep.

Except for Kageyama.

Once the message rang in his ears, he woke with a start. Quickly realizing this he shook Hinata awake. “Shoyo! Wake up! They’ve received the transmission! We gotta go!”

Hinata yawned, his orange hair going in several thousand directions. It plucked at Kageyama’s heart strings. “We’re going what now?”

“Just get up!” He hissed as he pulled the sleepy soldier off his cot. Apparently, he didn’t do it quietly enough, because now Daichi was awake and ready to unleash hell on them. “Give me one good reason why you guys are fucking awake at this hour?”

Hinata was about to answer but Kageyama cut him off and pointed to the radio room. “The signal came in! We could go now!”

The clusters entered the atmosphere. 

“What? At this hour? It’s 3:00am Earth Time. I find that very hard to believe-” Daichi stopped and listened to his surroundings. A hum of engines could be heard; coming closer and closer and

“I thought you said the Nameless didn’t find you!” 

“What?” The idiots two said in unison, as a jolt shook all the cadets awake. A proton missile had hit the stronghold. 

As the cadets tried to understand the severity of the situation, Daichi commanded, “Head to your planes and get the hell out of here!” Another collision rocked the base as people began to panic. Many headed for the hangars, but they were set aflame by the ammunition. 

Hinata watched this unfold with despair rising and ready to overflow. He couldn’t bear to see the  _ Minoa _ up in flames, despite the fact that he nearly crashed it and damaged it on several occasions.

“C’mon! We gotta go!” He grabbed onto the Erisian’s hand and tried to get inside, but several people were burned alive as the temperatures increased. The few successful ones took off but were shot down by the clusters. They fell into the choppy, cobalt blue seas; never to arise again.

The general was pleased with the uncontained chaos. “Prepare a cluster for me. I’d like to have a little chat with these so-called soldiers.”

Hinata’s panic began to suffocate him when Kageyama grabbed his attention, “Wait!” He hadn’t realized it at the time, but he was grabbing onto his wrist so hard that his nails were clawing into his skin. The cadet was so close to the fire that his corneas were being cooked in his sockets.

“Do you want to get burned?” Kageyama hissed as he pulled him back. The roars of the clusters only grew louder as the remaining cadets huddled together out of fear. They contained (but were not limited to) Daichi, Asahi, Sugawara, Oikawa and his crew, Ushijima and his continuously downsizing crew, and two of our favorite moronic protagonists. 

“Great. Just great. Out of all the people I have to be trapped with, it’s gotta be you,” Oikawa growled at Ushijima. “Oh shut up. It’s not like I chose the circumstances,” his response came out harsher than intended. Alarms blared in the distance, which only increased their anxiety. 

“Guys! Now’s not the time to argue!” Sugawara reprimanded them, both boys cowering away from him. Finally emerging from the infirmary, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi came out and looked around. “Is this everyone?”

“Apparently so. Get to the basement; there’s high-tech weapons there. Suga, you lead them,” Daichi ordered, sounding like a three-star military general. “Will you guys be okay?”

“We’ll be fine. Now go!”

But there was no time.

The stronghold shook with such a force that it had to be alien. An unfamiliar sound besides the brazen alarm filled the air.  A ship. No, a cluster!  Landing.

“Shit,” Daichi cursed under his breath. “Go to the basement now! You’ll be safe there.” 

“And leave you guys alone and defenseless? I don’t think so,” Sugawara crossed his arms.

“Guys, stop!” Asahi yelled over the two of them, grabbing everyone else’s attention in the process. “I have a plan.”

Smoke curling out of the ship, the general stepped out and took a deep breath. The Neptunese air filled his...er, nostrils as he walked in the hangar with such grace. Two Nameless flanked him as he recalled the memories of his time here. 

Oh how he loved EMSA. As a child, he dreamed of becoming the greatest pilot the Milky Way galaxy had ever seen! But he was a freak. A victim of bullying. No nobody from the Sun could ever become a pilot.

So he set his plan for revenge. This meant siding with the galaxy’s one and only threat: the Nameless, and losing his humanity. A small price to pay, but it had some extraordinary results. Without him, no one would have started Project Genesis. 

He was the cause of everyone’s suffering, and he enjoyed it. No, he was addicted to it! Eventually he had to say goodbye to his friends: Dr. Ravansha and Commander Thane; even his sainted mentor, the one and only General Ukai. 

The general remembered their grisly deaths with such fondness. This was going to be fun. There was one thing wrong, though.

The lights were out.

The general chuckled, “Oh how I love games!” With a snap of his fingers, the two Nameless scampered away, growling and screeching as they did so. 

The general could smell the Earthling in the air. Just one, to his surprise. Azumane Asahi. The sharpshooter. 

He hated sharpshooters.

“Oh little Earthling! Come out, come out wherever you are! I just want to play!”  _ And tear you to shreds,  _ the general almost added.

Asahi stayed in the vents. His breath trembled, finger on the trigger. He hadn’t been this afraid since the Trials back at home. Compared to whatever was going on now, he’d pick the Trials over this any day.

Asahi took a deep breath. He tried to remember all the things Nishinoya used to say to keep his spirits up, but the words withered and died in his thoughts, just like their creator.

All his anger finally spilled over. He was dead and it was the general’s fault. It was time for that monster to pay his dues. 

The general was shot in the back. 

“Huh?” He turned around and was thrown back due to the repeated fire. Shot after shot, the general grew even angrier. Fuckin snipers.

With a roar, the general tore apart the vents and grabbed the cadet by the neck. Asahi fought to get a sliver of breath, but the general’s claws only tightened. “I’ve heard a great deal about you, Azumane Asahi. A runaway from Miyagi turned EMSA superstar. Tell me, where are the rest of your friends?”

“Go to hell,” he wheezed.

Dissatisfied with the answer, the general’s claws began to scratch the surface of his throat. Blood was drawn and creeping down his neck like a small animal fleeing for it’s safety. The Nameless hybrid took another deep breath.

Earthlings. Sun. Jupitarians. Martians.  They were all here.

A two-mouthed smile illuminated the inky hallway. “You guys suck at hiding from your enemies.”

The Nameless beasts pondered around the corridors, sniffing for more prey to feast upon. Despite the students best efforts to stay hidden, the Nameless could see in the dark. They knew those cadet bastards were here, but where? 

A cannon whirred to life in the distance.

Asahi returned the gesture. “You were saying?”

“Now!” Daichi’s shrill command echoed in the unlit steel hallway. The cannon fired into the gut of one of the Nameless. Bleeding out, the other monster ran over to the boys to cast it’s revenge. Unbeknownst to the mindless creature, Iwazumi had been behind it the whole time and jumped on top of it before it could reach Daichi.

He struggled, trying to control the hideous thing. “Oi, Wakatoshi! Could you hurry up?”

“I’m trying!” Was the response. As Iwazumi tried to hold down the animal, Ushijima drummed his fingers on the cannon impatiently, waiting for it to reload. “Finish, now would you?” He hissed under his breath.

The cannon activated with a beautiful whistle. “There we are.” Taking another shot, Ushijima aimed at the monster’s gut. Once fired, it spread the Nameless’ organs all over the floor.

Looking down, he cringed, “Not a good look for the tile.”

The general stared down the sniper with fire dancing in his eyes. Did he know who he was playing with? He threw Asahi to the side, who was gasping for air. 

“Do you really think you little brats can face off against me? I am your worst nightmare! You should be cowering in fear!” He screeched with such annoyance. To his delight, none of the cadets were moving. It seemed as if he’d paralyzed them with his speech. 

But that wasn’t the reason. 

The general took yet another breath. There was someone behind him.

“It’s over, General Orthruk,” Yamaguchi held his blaster behind the Nameless’ head. Recognizing the voice, he chirped, “Subject 6F70! I didn’t think you’d make it!” 

More cadets came out of the darkness, armed with blasters and other weapons. “And look at all of your friends! I’m surprised you made any.”

“You’re wildly outnumbered. Surrender now and we’ll make your death as painless as possible,” Daichi smirked as his eyes fell on Yamaguchi, “but we can’t make any promises.”

General Orthruk stood his ground, calling out the men. “Well well well, if it isn’t my favorite Earthling! I don’t like the other guy though. He’s annoying and a coward.” 

Asahi gritted his teeth. If it weren’t for Sugawara supporting his weight, he’d beat his ass.

As if summoned by his thoughts, the general turned over to the wounded teen. “Sorry ‘bout that. Oh! The Prince of Jupiter? Blessing me with his presence? And the Martian who invaded my dear cluster! My my, Sawamura Daichi, you have quite a crew.” He reached over to attack but his claw hit something. Something soft.

 

Hair.

 

General Orthruk picked up a strand or two with his sharp black talons. Who the hell had orange hair?

 

Answer: Hinata Shoyo.

 

Adrenaline taking over, Hinata pushed his hand aside and fired his blaster point blank. Yamaguchi back away as the beast fell back, but did not die. His crude laughter began to poison the very air they breathed. 

 

“You’re going to regret that, little Sun boy. You know we aren’t so different,” he circled the cadet, “everyone hated us because we came from the very same place that gave them light. Life. Hope. Why they didn’t praise us, I don’t know. But if you join me, we’ll make them pay.” General Orthruk rested his head on Hinata’s shoulder, looking at the now frightened soldiers. “All of them.”

Hinata shouldn’t have been playing devil’s advocate, but what General Orthruk said penetrated his thoughts like an overplayed pop song. He stared back at his peers: Daichi with a finger on the trigger, appearing quite cold and distant. Asahi leaning onto Sugawara, both of them drenched in fright. Oikawa and Iwaizumi side by side, hands coated in Nameless blood. Ushijima cradling the cannon like one would with a child, Tsukishima also flanking him. Yamaguchi looking back in desperation. 

Did he really want to kill them? Sure, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi weren’t exactly nice when he first met them, but they were buddies now!

He glanced over to Kageyama. Did he want to kill him too?

“You know, your bargain does sound enticing,” Hinata gave Daichi and Ushijima a look, who discreetly nodded, “but I’m gonna have to deny that request.”

Signal fired, they both began to shoot at the monster. He shrieked in pain, screaming, “You’re going to regret that, boy!” 

“To your ships!” Hinata yelled, the rest obeying. Dispersing, he latched onto a very shocked Kageyama Tobio. 

“I thought you were gonna kill me!” 

“Why would I? I love you! When you’re not an ass!”

Kageyama had been surprised by Hinata’s comment, including Hinata himself. He  _ loved _ him? Since when? How did this happen?

There was no time to answer such questions. The two made it to the  _ Minoa _ , with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi in pursuit. The boys boarded the plane, only waiting for their beloved crew members until they took off. 

Both Tsukishima and Yamaguchi lurched to the other side of the ship, banging their heads on the hull. “If there’s one thing I don’t miss, it’s your shitty flying.”

“Aww thanks, Tsukki! I tolerate you too!” Hinata yelled and Yamaguchi snickered. Pushing the controls forward, the  _ Minoa _ exited the atmosphere with such speed. Not far behind where the other’s ships: The  _ S.S. Little Crow _ , The  _ Sapphire _ , and the  _ Swan _ . From the ground they looked like shooting stars, fleeing for their lives.

General Orthruk sneered at the sight. Those damn brats escaped; they escaped! There was only one thing left to do.

He turned on his comms system, “Summon a fleet. This isn’t over yet.”


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which some feeling will be addressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us."— attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson

After the tense battle back at Kerang, the  _ Minoa _ flew in silence. The ship were in formation with the others, but no one turned on their radios. It seemed as if they were all in limbo, trying to come to terms with the fact that they fought with the Nameless and  _ survived _ . 

In cruising mode, the crew of the  _ Minoa _ walked about. Tsukishima inspected his still broken glasses, putting them on and trying to see. They were too cracked to actually wear and scratched his his skin. “Should’ve gotten new glasses,” he whispered to himself.

Yamaguchi brought his legs to his chest, toying with the stitches that sealed up his would. Surprisingly, it had almost completely healed, but still hurt like hell. He was haunted by the words General Orthruk said back at Neptune.

_ Project 6F70 _ . The title sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall the memory. Speaking of which, Yamaguchi couldn’t recall anything up until he was 11 years old. Why was that? And if he couldn’t remember anything, how did he know the general’s name?

Meanwhile, Kageyama and Hinata were being awkward. It had been that way ever since Hinata opened his mouth during the Nameless battle. Before they were at each other’s throats, ready to fight. Now they couldn’t look each other in the eye or pass by one another without blabbering and blushing.

It scared the ever-living fuck outta Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. 

That being said, the two ran into each other, tools and parts flying in all directions. “S-Sorry,” Hinata picked up a few stray ships parts, getting scratched in the process. “Nah, it’s fine. Are you okay? Do you need a bandage?” 

“No, no, I’ll be okay.” They tried to avoid contact, a rosy color tainting their cheeks. Hinata was as hot and glowing as a blue star. 

“Look at them,” Tsukishima whispered to the freckled cadet as the two stuttered about. “They’re making me cry.” Yamaguchi glanced at them and smiled, “Ah, today’s youth. So secretive about their emotions.”

As Hinata left the cockpit in an awkward fashion, Kageyama watched him leave with a peculiar look on his face. Most people define this as longing. 

Tsukishima wanted to puke. “So the tension  _ is _ building between you two.” 

Kageyama jerked his head so quickly he got whiplash, “Tension? What tension?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Your Majesty. I mean whatever’s going on right now. Before you guys couldn’t even be in the same room together, and now…” Tsukishima thought long and hard for a minute, “you still can’t be in the same room together. Why is that?”

“It’s nunya.”

“Nunya what?” Yamaguchi yawned, immediately regretting that he said that, since he knew the answer.

“Nunya business,” Kageyama grabbed a stray ship piece from the floor and began to leave the cockpit when he stopped. “You really think so?”

“Please, Tobio, a blind man can see it. Just spill your feelings so he can reject you and we can move on,” Tsukishima spat with a bit more venom than usual. Brimming with agitation and sorrow Kageyama was about to fire back when Yamaguchi butted into the conversation. “Pardon him, he’s being a bit more of a jerk than usual,” he gritted his teeth and stared back at the Martian in disdain. Tsukishima rolled his eyes in response. 

“No kiddin’,” the Erisian muttered under his breath as he headed out. Now alone together, Yamaguchi glared at him, saying, “That was cruel.” 

“I was just spitting the truth!” He threw his arms up in defense. “Yeah well he didn’t ask for it! Look, I know things have been shitty ever since… just stop bottling your grief up inside! It’ll only hurt you!” 

“News flash, Tadashi: I’m already hurt,” Tsukishima got up off the passenger seats and left without a word.

Yamaguchi sighed.

Back onboard the lovely  _ S.S. Little Crow _ , things have been quiet. Too quiet. Ever since the battle on Neptune, Daichi, Suga, and Asahi have been bathing in their own anger and helplessness. Unlike the other two, Sugawara had reached his limit.

The cockpit’s light went out. 

“Damn it!” Sugawara banged his fist onto the control board with such vexation. Asahi, who was about to head into the room, cowered away.

Daichi heard the imprecation and stopped the cowardly sniper. “What’s tha matter with you?” “I wouldn’t head in there. Koushi’s pissed. And I mean  _ really _ pissed,” Asahi warned him, going into his quarters. In a common Sawamura fashion, he didn’t listen to his longtime friend and headed into the cockpit anyways. “Hey, Suga, you okay?”

“Do I look fucking okay to...you…” he snarled, but bit back when he realized it was just Daichi. “No, actually; you look kinda stressed,”  Daichi laughed nervously, making the Jupiterians anger dissipate in a flash. “What’s on your mind? Is it…”

Sugawara glanced back at him with puppy-like eyes, filled with misery. “Yeah, I feel the same,” the captain sat on the pilot’s chair, the prince joining his as well. Heavy tranquility hung over them.

“I hate them.”

“I know.”

Sugawara brought his knees up to his chest. He let out a long breath that turned into a dry sob, burying his face in his legs. Daichi wanted to say something comforting, but the words died in his throat. Letting out his frustrations the prince pushed back his unusually silver hair, brushing away a tear. Waiting a few seconds, he got up from the seat and gingerly pressed a button on the control board. The lights flickered and eventually lit up the entire room. 

“Activate the comms system. I have an idea.”

*

Kageyama came in at the wrong time. All the poor boy wanted to do was gaze at the stars and daydream about Hinata, but that wasn’t gonna happen.

Why? Because Hinata was right there! Looking at… wait, was that a photograph?

“Shit,” he cursed to himself and tried to creep out of there, but it was too late. Hinata already noticed him and called out to the cadet, “Kags, is that you?” Dead in his tracks, he turned around, cheeks beet red, “HEY BUDDY CHUM PAL I JUST CAME IN HERE TO CHILL BUT IT SEEMS YOU’RE PRETTY BUSY SO I’LL GO OKAY BYE-”

“Jesus Christ, Tobio, no need to yell,” Hinata squished his ears shut. Once he was done, he let go and tried to leave when the weapons expert stopped him. “What’s that?”

He glanced down at the picture. “This? It was what I was trying to save back at EMSA.” The Sun boy handed it to the Erisian, who gratefully accepted it. 

In the polaroid contained three figures who obviously seemed related to one another. The eldest of them was a lady with bright orange hair, holding two small children. A big smile was plastered across her face. One of the children looked at her with annoyance brewing in their veins. The other mimicked her expression, appearing quite goofy.

“Is this you?”

“Yeah. That was us on my first day of primary flight school. My sister wouldn’t stop jumping on top of me,” he reminisced back to the first few days of school, despite the memories fading in his head. 

“Sister? I didn’t know you had a sister,” Kageyama tried to think of a younger version of Hinata, but the idea was so scary he tried to expel the image from his mind. This resulted in him banging his head against the hull.

Hinata howled with laughter, “You okay there?” “Sure, I’m fine and dandy thanks to you,” he rubbed his head as friend kept on giggling. “I’m glad you find this entertaining.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” One after the other, the two sat down and took in the scenic view. Stars decorated every nook and cranny of the void they grew to love and hate. Out in the distance was a birth star nebula, gracing the soldiers with her mesmerizing colors of blue, brown and green. 

Hinata sighed, “I can't wait til all this is over.”

“...what are you going to do after we kill off the Nameless?”

“Well,” he jumped up, “I’m going to go back home and make sure my family knows I'm alive. Then afterwards maybe I'll challenge my friends to a cruiser race! What about you?”

“Maybe I'll go back to Eris and see my old man. I doubt he’ll recognize me though,” Kageyama stared at the sky. Hinata realized that the stars reflected off his icy blue eyes, and once he noticed that he couldn't stop staring.

Unfortunately for him, Kageyama saw. “What’re you staring at?”

“Nothing!” He hissed, averting his eyes as quickly as he could. 

“Y’know, you've been really weird ever since Neptune.”

“Me? Weird? You're the one who's acting nice to me! That's weird!”

“I'm only being so nice because you're a klutzy dumbass!” The weapons expert screeched.

“I only dropped the parts because you were in my way!” The captain fired back with the same amount of malice.

“So are you saying this is all my fault?”

Hinata thought for a minute; a miracle since he doesn't really have a brain. “Yes.”

“Fine.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!” They both screamed in unison, then threw themselves on the floor like children, pouting with arms crossed. Only the hum of the engines could be heard for minutes without end. When their anger slowly disappeared, one began to apologize. “I’m sorry. You’re right, though. I haven’t really been myself after what happened.”

The pilot took a deep breath as he anxiously ran his fingers through his hair, “The truth is, I like you. A lot.” 

Kageyama’s heart was pumping at the speed of light. “I know.”

“I mean, it wouldn’t work out,” Hinata intervened quickly and began to ramble, “you’re an ass and I’m too peppy, and after this we’ll be thousands of miles away from-”

Fed up with this unnatural negative talk of his, he cut him off and kissed him on the lips. Shocked by the gesture, the cadet kissed back, burning bright like the star from where he came from. Of course, this ended with Kageyama’s lips getting burned.

“Ow!” 

They both separated quickly, covering their mouths as if they’d contracted a disease. The two looked at each other awkwardly for a while then burst into laughter. 

“I’m guessing you’ve never been kissed before,” Kageyama glances at him, trying his hardest not to smile. “Never,” Hinata still continued to chuckle when he realized his friend was staring at his lips. 

Funny that he still called him that, since they were way past friendship now.

Now a bit more mature about the action, the two came close and kissed again; this time a bit longer than the last. Hinata was still unintentionally burning Kageyama, but he didn’t care.

Meanwhile, Tsukishima was relaxing in the cockpit when a transmission came in. A soft warning bell went off, but stopped after he put on the bulky headphones. “Hello?”

“This is Sugawara Koushi of the  _ S.S. Little Crow _ . Set your courses to Ganymede, I repeat, set your courses to Ganymede. We’ll discuss plans of evacuation and attack there. Inform your captains immediately.”

Tsukishima took off the headphones and threw them onto the control board. He buried his face in his hands and got up.  _ When are they gonna learn… _

“Hey assholes, I-” His jaw nearly dropped when he saw the once feuding cadets making out. Once Hinata realized that Tsukishima was there the entire time, he hit Kageyama on the shoulder, which made him stop and look back. “Oh, uh, hey! You didn’t see that.”

“Damn right I didn’t,” the tech expert tried to get the mental image out of his head. “We got a transmission from the  _ Little Crow _ . The Prince is ordering us to go to Ganymede.”

“Isn’t that one of Saturn’s moons?” Hinata got up and crossed his arms. Kageyama did the same, answering, “No, that’s definitely Uranus’ moon.”

“God you’re both idiots. That’s a Jupiterian moon. I’m setting a course for it now. We should be there in a few hours,” Tsukishima was about to leave when he glanced back and said, “By the way, never do that again.”

“Do what?” Kageyama questioned with some semblance of innocence.

He gave them a disgusted face. “Whatever you guys were doing before. It looked like you were eating each other’s faces off.”

*

After a few hours of arguing, awkward encounters, and snarky remarks, the  _ Minoa _ finally arrived at the moon the humans called Ganymede. Tall buildings made out of rusted metal towered over it’s citizens, who passed the cadets by with no problem. The air reeked of exhaust and garbage. 

Hinata pinched his nose shut, saying, “It reeks in here.” The rest of the cadets tried not to laugh at his weird vocal tone. 

The sun began to set, leaving gray colored smudges in it’s wake. The streets grew more desolate, making them the only witnesses to the sights. Emerging from the shadows was an EMSA soldier; clearly worn out from all the fights they waged. A thin, long scar blazoned his cheek, still tinted with blood.

“Don’t be afraid,” uttered he, “just follow me.” It took Hinata a few seconds, but eventually recognized him as Tendou Satori, one of the first years that started the food fight back when they attended EMSA. It looked like he aged a thousands years since then. 

They continued to walk until they had approached a brick wall. Covering a big chunk of it was a faded propaganda poster; the Jupiterian words long erased. 

“Stand back,” Tendou walked in front of them and pressed his palm onto one of the bricks. It went through the wall and fell down on the other side. With a rumble and a whistle, the wall unlocked ever so slightly. Using his strength, Tendou pulled the wall wide open.

A rush of air came out and went through their hair, making the strands fly. “What’re you waiting for? An invitation?” The third year grumbled. With hesitation, the cadets entered the pitch black area. Once the children were in, the wall returned to its original space.

“Why is it so cold in here?” Yamaguchi complained, rubbing his shoulders in an attempt to obtain some heat. It wasn’t just the temperature that set him off. “And do you guys hear that?”

The boys stopped. Whirring. Fingers pressing a flat surface. Grim conversations in solemn tones. 

“We don’t have time for this! Just head down the hallway!” Tendou bossed them around. “Not yet! Not until I figure out what you guys are planning,” the engineer snapped back. An authoritarian voice cut between the two, stating, “That’s enough.”

 

The third year and first year shrank under the commanding tone of the Prince of Jupiter. Sugawara Koushi approached them, appearing quite disappointed. “You’ve done enough, Satori. You can go.”

Shaking his head, Tendou left in a flourish, muttering something between the lines of Urani swear words and ancient curse.

The four crewmembers eyeballed past Sugawara, noticing the few soldiers that were left. Daichi and Asahi were staring at something on the table, which were most likely battle plans. Ushijima, with his peers Eita and Tendou, stood in the back and said nothing. Oikawa glared at Kageyama, who persistently avoided his toxic gaze.

“What happened to everyone else?” Hinata managed to spit out the words, sounding like a child. “What do you think happened?” Sugawara huffed, giving them the evil eye.

Glancing up from the table, Daichi turned off the hologram on the table and gave them a weary, grateful, yet irritated expression. “Do you know what you’ve guys have done?”

“We-uh-I…”

“The Nameless are gathering a fleet because of your mindless behavior!” Daichi rubbed his temples and sighed. “All the EMSA posts are gone. We’re truly the only ones left.”

That comment did not sit well with the newly arrived cadets. The other shifted uncomfortably despite knowing the news. Hinata swallowed the lump in his throat, “So what now?”

“We attack them head on. We don’t have any other options left.”

Taking his gaze off his junior for once, Oikawa focused his attention to the unofficial leader of the group. “Wait, what about Bo and Kuroo? Didn’t you even try getting into contact with them?”

“We did. The last time I heard them was when we were escaping the last post. They were shouting for reinforcements, saying that Ceres was taken over. When we got here I tried contacting them but…” Daichi’s expression melted under the thought of his old friends long gone. “They didn’t answer.”

“Shit,” muttered one of them. Shaking his head, trying to get out the phase, the captain turned on holograms of the space surrounding Ganymede, Nameless clusters, and EMSA ships.

“This is where we are right now. After the invasion I picked up a transmission General Orthruk sent to his officers. He’s sending a fleet large enough to decimate us within seconds. For the safety of the people, we’ll lure them out into the Mortem Quadrant. Due to the immense magnetic pressure, some of the clusters will be destroyed. During the entire fight, you must turn on your magnetic repulsion shield, unless you want to be crushed inside your plane. 

“After they enter the quadrant, the  _ Sapphire  _ and the  _ S.S. Little Crow  _ will take on the mother clusters. The  _ Swan _ and the  _ Minoa  _ will defeat the fighter clusters.” He peered over to Tsukishima, “Hack into as many drones as you can.”

He turned back to the cadets, “We have nothing left to lose. Fight with all you got. For our fallen brothers and sisters. For EMSA.”

“For EMSA,” the rest of the young adults muttered, leaving for their ships afterward. All eyes surveyed the youngest out of them, realizing that they are more childlike than they will ever be.

Daichi noticed this and approached our four dynamic protagonists. “You guys aren’t scared?”

“Scared? We’re beyond scared! We’re scared shitless!” Hinata argued but was soon shut up by a punch to the arm. “What he means is that we’re ready.”

“I know you guys are. You are the best of the best from the first year…” Daichi trailed off as he remembered his days as a wide-eyed first year. Suddenly his shoulders felt like boulders as his chest collapsed, “Whatever you do, don’t get yourselves killed.”

The boys smiled, “We won’t.”

That was a lie. 

*

The next morning, all the boys got up early and ate their breakfast without a word. A heavy emotion sunk into all of them, unidentifiable at the time. 

Hinata took a final bite into the lizard meat before throwing out the rest of the bones. He stared at the  _ Minoa _ , which seemed to glow in the sunlight.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

He jerked his head to the side, realizing that Kageyama was talking to him, “Hope the Nameless don’t scratch her up. It’ll be a shame.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re untouchable, we’ll beat their asses,” Hinata beamed. The two looked at each other and gave a sincere smile.

“I’m sorry, are we interrupting something?” Tsukishima yawned, trying to seem cool even though he was utterly nervous on the inside. Yamaguchi stood by his side, arm on his shoulder.

“Nah, just saying goodbye to our ship before we fuck it up beyond repair.”

“You guys are insane. Now hurry up, the planes are taking off!” Yamaguchi stressed, smacking Tsukishima on the shoulder before he ran towards it. “He’s right! We gotta go!”

“Geez Louise. We’ll be right there!” the Martian yelled after him, feeling uncomfortable being so near to his sworn enemy. Clearing his throat, he began, “I hope you don’t die today.”

“Thanks,” the Erisan responded, “I hope you don’t die too.”

And for the first time in his sixteen years of life, Tsukishima Kei held out his hand for Kageyama Tobio to shake. They proceeded with the gesture and silently agreed to never talk about it again. 

After entering the  _ Minoa _ , they took off and exited the atmosphere of Ganymede. It wasn’t hard to find the other EMSA ships due to the fact that they looked so different from each other and the clusters.

Right. The clusters.

It didn’t take long for the enemy to notice them. In one of the larger clusters the commander yelled, “Fire!”

“Evade fire and jump to hyperspace!” Daichi screeched over the comms. The captains of the EMSA ships frantically activated the module.

They jumped to the Mortem Quadrant.


	10. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To which they die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Be humble for you are made of earth.  
> Be noble for you are made of stars."  
> — Serbian proverb

Everything was silent. The Mortem Quadrant was named quite appropriately, looking vast and dark as death itself. The only one who dared to speak was Oikawa, breathing heavily and sounding almost like a child, “This place gives me the creeps.”

The clusters were in pursuit. The sharp, cringeworthy shriek of their engines gave them away.  

“ _Swan_! _Minoa_! Get to it!”

“On it!” Eita answered and dodged a string of missiles. One of them lightly grazed the _Swan_ , which made the plane tilt to the side

Alarms blared in their ears when Tendou raced to the weapons cockpit. “Wakatoshi! Pull up the shields! Eita, stabilize the ship’s movement! I’ll deal with the clusters.”

Taking heed to the commands, the _Swan_ moved back into it’s original position, protective shields covering it up. With a burst of energy the ships twisted and turned, dodging fire and destroying clusters with a push of a button.

More clusters made the jump from Ganymede to the quadrant. Several of them combusted while others were crushed by the magnetic pressure. The _Swan_ and the _Minoa_ avoided the shots as much as possible, but the _S.S. Little Crow_ and the _Sapphire_ were sustaining heavy damage.

Sparks flew from the control board as the _Sapphire_ was hit yet again by an electric sphere. Iwazumi ran over to try and get control of the plane but got shocked. “Someone turn on the backup power!” His shrill voice could be heard from the hallway.

In a second, the lights came on and the _Sapphire_ was stabilized. “Generator’s on,” Matsukawa chirped.

Looking out from the cockpit, clusters flew in a fluid formation, dodging and exploding. To the naked eye, they looked like a flock of evil birds. And one of them was growing bigger.

Wait, it was coming closer.

Oh.

Entering the cockpit, Oikawa reacted quickly, pulling Iwazumi down and screeching, “Get down!” As the cluster grew scaringly close, it fired at the windshield and pulled up, shattering it and making the ship vulnerable to the vacuum of space.

Shrapnel began to fly out of the cockpit, but it only lasted for a few seconds. The shield covered the hole in the windshield quickly, which caused everyone to fall. Groaning, the rest of the crew got up, Hanamaki complaining, “I think I broke something.” Wincing in pain Oikawa helped pick up his second in command, who was bleeding from the side of his head. “Have you made any progress, _Little Crow_? We’re dying out here!”

Long, burning lasers scraped at the hull of the hunk of a ship that was the _S.S. Little Crow_ , which caused the ship to shake and sway. Daichi tried to walk through the halls, but he kept on banging his head into the walls. “We’re trying! The _Swan_ destroyed some of them, but the _Minoa_ ’s asleep!”

“Like hell we are!” Tsukishima’s voice echoed through the comms system. “I’ve been trying to hack into their drones but short stack here won’t bring us any closer to the mother ship!”

“That’s because I’d like to live today, thank you very much!” Hinata spat back with as much malice as he could muster, but deep down he wasn’t scared.The _Minoa_ shook as it took in fire from one of the released drones.

A swarm of them could be seen in the distance. They looked like a murder of crows, flying aimlessly at first but then approaching their target. A string of angry red lights were emitted from the pieces of technology.

Hinata revved up the engines. “You ready?”

Tsukishima glanced up from his tablet, slightly confused, “Wait, what?”

Without hesitation, the _Minoa_ raced to the flock and decimated them, leaving chunks of metal and loose wires in it’s wake. The tech expert whipped up a code, ready to use against the drones. “A little warning next time?”

“Whaddya talkin about? I did warn you! Now send out the code!”

A single second was all it took for the drones bleeding red to turn into a peaceful green. Obeying their new master, they flew over to the _Minoa_ and began to protect it as if it was their own blood.

Tsukishima sighed in relief and began to crack his knuckles. “Now we’re gonna have some fun.”

The ship took off with the little cronies not too far behind. Feeding on new directions straight from his tablet, the drones crashed into the clusters mindlessly. Some of the clusters were thrown off course and collided with one another. Others exploded on contact.

General Orthuk watched this occur from his ship the _Beyond_. Nameless raced and rushed to their own clusters to help out their brethren, but he knew this act would be in vain.

He did not complain. He did not shriek orders. He simply watched.

He stopped one of the Nameless leaving and gestured her to come near him. She obeyed and let him whisper commands to her.

She gave a sparkling two-mouthed smile.

As the clusters and their mother ships went down, the soldiers began to feel empowerment. They were winning! They were _actually_ defeating the intergalactic menace that was the Nameless! Sure, the progress was slow and the victory called too early, but who cared. They were on top of the galaxy!

A mother ship harboring hacked drones exploded in the distance as Asahi fixed one of his snipers. It had been jammed ever since the encounter on Neptune. The hair on his neck rose as he remembered segments of that nightmare.

That’s when he heard it. At first, Asahi brushed it off; a clank of the engine, that’s all. But then it returned, louder than before. Then even louder.  “Daichi!”

It was too late. An alabaster-colored cluster pushed it’s way into the hull of the _S.S. Little Crow._ Wires were cut off and sparked. The lights died. The corridor was suddenly cold.

Asahi was afraid.

Shivering, he held his sniper like it was the only object left. His finger was on the trigger, ready to fire. Sweat beads cascaded down his forehead and neck as he backed away slowly. Sharp talons scratched onto the metal, making it’s way towards him.

In the dark, he saw two eyes. Two inky, rabid eyes. He fired once. Twice. Seven times. Nothing. The Nameless stood on it’s hind legs and let out a piercing howl as the teen ran for his life.

No matter how fast he ran, he was no match for that beast.

The Nameless followed him. Large paws hitting the metal made thumping sounds that could be felt in your heart. Asahi caught his breath and went back to the gun, firing as much as he could.

He was sick and tired of running. It was time to face his fear. 

“I’m not afraid of you!” He shouted as bullets ricocheted off the 7-foot-tall monster. Ever so calmly, the Nameless approached the boy. He felt something go through his chest. A streak of blood trickled down from his mouth as he stared above in shock.

“You...should...be.”

Asahi thumped to the floor.

The loud noise echoed from the corridor and snaked it’s way into the cockpit. Daichi and Sugawara jerked their heads to the direction of the sound and heard something else. An ungodly roar.

Daichi sputtered a slew of curses, many of them Sugawara couldn’t understand. Furiously tapping away at the control board, a robotic voice brought him back to reality. _Escape pod activated._

“...what?” “No time to argue. You have to get out of here!” Daichi handed him a blaster and a day’s worth of provisions. “I’m not leaving without you!” Sugawara dropped the items.

“Well, that’s gonna be a problem.”

The Jupiterian’s eyes grew wide. His heart beated against his ribcage like an angry drum, “What’re you talking about?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Koushi, you’re too important to die. Nobody cares about some kid from Earth sacrificing himself for the good of his friends, but if it were the Prince of Jupiter…” the captain tried to expel the evil thought that wormed it’s way into his brain. “You’re getting in and that’s final.”

“No. I want to live out my final minutes with you, not retreating like a coward. I’m staying whether you like it or not.”

Another screech escaped the Nameless’ jaws. Both of them shivered yet still held their ground. “Just go!”

“No!” Sugawara said through gritted teeth, agitated at his friend’s persistence. Talons hitting the metal filled the room with dread and, surprisingly, courage. Hands intertwining, they activated the blasters with their free hands.

The _S.S. Little Crow_ crashed into a mothership, lights out.

“Daichi! Come in Daichi! We’re being overwhelmed by clusters!” Eita desperately pled through the comms system as the _Swan_ was battered by proton missiles. He tried to move the ship out of the line of fire, but then he saw it.

It. A sphere made of pure dark energy. A death sentence for galactic ships.

That was the last thing Semi Eita ever saw.

Consumed by the dark energy, the _Swan_ split in half, sending debris everywhere. The _Sapphire_ and the _Minoa_ missed by a hair, but many of the clusters and drones weren’t so lucky. Even the _S.S. Little Crow_ was pierced, but it was like stabbing a dead body. Pointless.

“We have to retreat, now!” Oikawa hissed through the radio. As he was listening, Hinata internally counted the ships left. Not a lot, but enough to be impacted by something big. Shaking his head, Hinata joined in and said, “No, there’s another way!”

“And what would that be? Half of the drone fleet is destroyed. We’re out of ammunition!” The weapons expert broke in. “Not only that, there’s a leak in the engine,” the once silent Yamaguchi warned.

He gave Kageyama a look filled with panic yet determination at it’s best. Suddenly, he knew what the pilot wanted to do. “No. No, not now. Are you insane?”

“It’ll save everyone!”

“And kill you! Christ you really are a dumbass!”

“Tobio, look at me.” He avoided Hinata’s gaze. “Look at me! If you had the chance to save everyone, would you do it?”

A deafening silence. “Yes.”

“Then let me do this. Please.”

Tsukishima put his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder, who seemed as if he just saw a puppy sealed away in horrible conditions. “But you’ll die,” his voice cracked just a bit.

Hinata let out a bitter chuckle. “I know.”

Heart breaking at the seams, he threw himself into an embrace with the shorter boy. In that moment, he recalled every little thing about the amazing mystery that was Hinata Shoyo: his hopelessly disheveled hair, his unwavering confidence.

The kiss.

Wrapping his arms around Kageyama’s neck, Hinata whispered, “I’m sorry.” He tried to comprehend what that miniature sentence meant, but by the time he realized what was happening he was pushed out of the cockpit along with Tsukishima. The door was locked.

“No!” His fists banged onto the chromium alloy entrance; a prison created by the one inside it.

“Tsukishima, get Yamaguchi and get the hell outta here.” “Fine, but I hope that you understand what you’re doing is reckless and stupid,” spat the blond, despite the fact that for once in his life he was concerned for the annoying cadet.

Hinata smirked sadly, “It’s other lives before our own, right?”

Tsukishima’s composure of stone cracked, “You bastard.” Leaving, Kageyama took his place and gripped the handle as if it were made of gold. “Open this door so I can kick your ass!”

“I have to do this on my own. Get in the pod with the rest. I hope you can forgive me.” He gave his once bitter roommate and sworn enemy a glance of compassion and caring, then never turned around again.

As Kageyama was dragged away by his friends, he wanted to utter words. Three words, to be exact. Three overused, cliche, yet meaningful words, but they died in his throat.

He will regret this til his last day.

Watching the escape pod flee the Mortem Quadrant, Oikawa’s voice filled the room yet again. “ _Minoa_ ! Do you copy _Minoa_?”

“Yea, I copy, whaddya want?” Hinata rubbed his eyes quickly. “Do you need assistance? The _Sapphire_ can-”

“No time. You guys have to leave. I don’t want you to get burned up.”

Breathing heavily, Oikawa activated hyperspace saying, “Good luck out there, shrimpy.” Once _Sapphire_ disappeared, he glared at the Nameless fleet, intimidated yet not backing down.

From the _Beyond_ , the general could see a tiny figure stare down his own ship and the few clusters left. He bit the skin flap that was his pathetic excuse for a lip.

Sun kids, am I right?

“Surrender now!” He shrieked into the radio, his shrill voice vibrating in the _Minoa_ ’s hallways. “There’s no one left to help you!”

Hinata did not say anything. He didn't have to. He had General Orthruk right where he wanted him.

He increased the speed of the _Minoa_.

Nameless gasped at the sight of the tiny ship barreling towards the hulking space fleet. A mere human, having the gaul to disobey them? Impossible!

“General Orthruk, what are your orders?” Budged an antsy cadet. Silence. “General Orthruk, I repeat, what are your orders?” Their sainted general had heard their pleas and cries for attack, but he was still. Why was he still?

Meanwhile, the spaceship only increased it’s speed. Hinata clutched onto the controls until his knuckles were white and glowing. The chromium alloy burned under his hand, just like how Tsukishima predicted, but he still held on.

It was time to end this once and for all.

The image of the _Minoa_ was growing bigger by the second. Nameless toppled one another in an attempt to flee the ship. They will not be successful.

The only body left was the decorated general, who was too paralyzed to run, scream, or hide. For the first and last time in his life, General James L. Orthruk of the Sun was acquainted with fear.

Hinata pushed the controls so far that they were on the verge of breaking. Closer. He was getting closer and closer and-

supernova.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A still more glorious dawn awaits  
> Not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise  
> A morning filled with 400 billion suns  
> The rising of the milky way"― Carl Sagan

4 years later

The sun was boiling. It burned everything in its path mercilessly. Few animals lived in this isolated area; most sought shelter from the harsh star.

Out of a dying bush appeared a lizard: dirt green and dry as the area it inhabits. It crawled its way around the dangerous landscape in search for food. In the distance grew the screeches of engines, unbeknownst to the animal. Once the sound passed it the lizard ran off in fear.

Two cruisers dared to race across the unforgiving landscape. They were at their highest speeds, spreading dust everywhere. The winning cruiser was colored gold; the rider smiling behind their helmet. The other cruiser, which was silver, wasn’t far behind.

The gold rider turned around and tried to go faster, but they were unsuccessful. Eventually they hit a curve and the two riders swerved violently to the side and fell off.

Taking off their helmet, the gold rider happily proclaimed, “I won! I told you I would win!” The silver rider did the same and admitted defeat, “Alright, alright, I get it. You’re the best rider there was.” Helmet under arm, he sauntered off with a grim look on his face.

“Aww, don’t be so sad,” yelled the gold rider, “maybe next time you-” Dropping the helmet, the two engaged in a deep kiss; like the way lovers would after a war. They let go after letting thousands of seconds pass.

“I can’t believe after all this time you’re still a crappy kisser,” the gold rider wrapped his arm around the other’s waist. “Shut up,” the silver rider smiled, blushing. They left their destroyed cruisers in the sand. 

After walking for miles, they approached the  _ Seraphim _ : the successor to the long destroyed  _ Minoa _ . Her wings were silver and a hint of bronze. The shape was slimmer and smaller than it’s predecessor. It beckoned to the cadets with it’s spangled hull. 

“Salt shaker sent us a message from Mars. He’s wondering if we killed each other yet,” the silver rider ran his fingers through his jet black hair, entering the cockpit. “Tell him the only thing I killed is your pride,” the gold rider glanced to the side, smirking.

“No need to be so harsh.” After embracing and chuckling, they both stared down at the controls, begging to be used. 

“Do you want to go back?”

“There’s nothing left for me there. You, on the other hand, have a family to return to.”

The gold rider let out a little, sad smile, “It’s been so long. Do you think they’d recognize me?” His partner brushed aside a bit of his bright orange hair, saying, “Why wouldn’t they? Besides, I’d love to meet your sister.”

Hinata took control of the joysticks, a devilish smile growing across his face, “To Xochitil.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for tuning into this wild story! I'd like to thank all my readers, for their comments always motivate me to write on. Credits to seasky.org, space quotations.com and linneart's home page for the quotes!
> 
> I would also like to add that I'll be writing more stories in the coming months, so stay tuned!


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